The Friendship of Rivalry
by Gambito
Summary: The war is over and Harry Potter finds himself quite bored. That is until Draco Malfoy storms into his life and asks him for the one thing Harry would never have expected him to ask... his help. Now they have all kinds of problems jumping out of the woodwork. Will they catch a break long enough to be able to move their friendship to the next level?
1. Chapter 1

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _This is the first fanfic I have ever written, so please be gentle_ _, but all criticism are welcome. I did not get a beta for this fanfic because as I said, this is my first fanfic, but I am also a qualified editor, so I copy edit my own work._

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Audite – Latin for listen (made it a spell for listening in on conversations, since I could only find "Muffliato" in the list of spells in Harry Potter, which is used for keeping conversations secret.)_

 **Chapter 1: Harry**

The night sky was silent as a lone figure sat on the roof of his house. Harry Potter smiled as a snowy owl pierced the darkness and landed next to him on the roof. Hedwig had died saving him, but Hagrid had surprised Harry with her chick as a birthday present after the war. He didn't know the whole story of how Hagrid had found her, but they had become inseparable from then on.

Somehow picking up on his thoughts, Snow snuggled in closer to his side as he lifted a hand to stroke her soft feathers while letting his thoughts drift. He had always believed that the end of the war would bring peace and that he and his friends would just continue on with their lives as it was even as they grew older. He had believed that he would become one of the best Aurors the wizarding world has ever seen and that he would continue with his uncomplicated life until the day he died.

But things had not worked out that way. It was barely three years after the war and he already found himself alone and bored. He had tried to be an Auror for a while, but somehow playing to the Ministry's rules after he knew well enough how wrong most of their views were, put a sour taste in his mouth. Even after the Ministry agreed to give him an indefinite leave of absence to "find himself", he knew that they only wanted the Wizarding world to think that the great Harry Potter was fighting for their cause.

So he had decided to disappear to a place that only Remus knew about. Remus Lupin had been almost the only person he could trust in recent years, since the rest of his friends and their families would always try to push him to do what they thought was right, without listening to him. Ron and Hermione had married and moved to England with the promise of frequent visits, but they soon realized that they didn't live in the same world anymore.

They were content to settle down and have kids, while Harry still yearned to find adventure and in the end, this drove them apart. The Weasleys still contacted him frequently at the beginning, but they had also seemed to realize that he was the only one who would be able to drag himself out of his self-imposed isolation. The twins however kept in frequent contact and in a way he could always count on them to cheer him up. Both were now booming businessmen and their products were sold all over the world. Everyone had been shocked and heartbroken when they had thought that Fred had died in the final war against Voldemort, but to everyone's surprise, Luna Lovegood had somehow foreseen the death of the twin and had promptly slipped a polyjuice potion into the drink of one of the known death eater's children before the battle.

Afterwards, she had asked Fred to guard a place which she had known to be safe. She only told him that someone had it in for him and his twin, but she immediately reassured him that nothing would happen to either him or his twin if he listened to her advice. Fred wasn't a coward, but after he learned that he would die when a wall collapsed on him, he decided to follow her advice, because that would mean that he would die without going out with a bang. Not that he would ever tell anyone except his twin who felt the same. The twins both felt that if they were to die, then they would die together and even though neither would wish the other to die, they both felt that they would be unable to live without one another.

The moment Luna had stepped into the room with a very much alive Fred, everyone had stood frozen in shock for a few minutes, but after Fred had looked over to the boy who had been busy changing back into his original self and said that he was quite insulted that his family would think that the ugly mug of a death eater could ever be compared to his own gorgeous face, the whole group of family and friends let their tears flow freely with George being the first one to get to him and whack him over the head, just because he thought his brother went and died without him.

Harry looked around his home and smiled. He had purchased a small plot of land in the middle of the woods next to a clearing. The locals believed the place was haunted and a few well-placed illusion spells made it even more believable. Here he could do whatever he liked and even if it got lonely at times, he would remind himself that he was better off lonely than being managed and unhappy.

Harry watched as the sky slowly became lighter. Dawn was approaching and if he wanted to get to the village shops before everyone took the freshest food, then he had better get a move on. He quickly but silently climbed down from his roof and entered his house through his bedroom window. The house was small, but some of the rooms had been enchanted to become bigger or smaller to suit his needs. He wasn't much of a decorator and as such, the house was decorated in a variety of reds, golds, silvers, and greens. He hadn't given it much thought when he bought the needed furniture, but it had occurred to him later on that he had decorated his house with the colors of the two most prominent houses in Hogwarts. Gryffindor and Slytherin. Yet he simply refused to acknowledge why he had done so by easily putting it down as a coincidence.

Harry quickly placed Snow near her food while ensuring that the window on the roof was left open to her if she wanted to hunt, he then glamoured himself and apparated into the woods close to the village. He looked around to ensure that no one was watching him before he slipped out of the bushes and headed towards the market. The people in the market knew the days he came and the fact that he paid them more than the required amount, ensured that he was always given the best they had to offer.

Once he was done, Harry decided to wander around the curiosity shops that lined the main road of the village. He didn't see anything of interest so he decided to head for home before the streets became too busy. But as he turned he saw a hooded male figure, much like himself, disappearing into a shop he hadn't really bothered to notice before. The shop was small and obviously dusty, but Harry couldn't stop himself from following the figure into the shop.

The figure had a familiar walk and his mannerisms clearly indicated that he was of nobility. A few niggling thoughts tried to make itself known at the back of Harry's conscience, but he pushed them away. He was only making sure that no one from the Ministry was following him, right? Harry moved to stand behind a set of cards on a shelf. A single glance at the moving cards told him that this wasn't a muggle shop, but a shop that catered to the wizarding world.

He felt his breath hitch as he realized that a familiar voice could be heard talking in hushed tones with the shopkeeper, even when both of them thought that they were alone in the shop. "Audite" Harry silently whispered and the conversation became clear. "I am looking for a boy with glasses, green eyes and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. You may also know him as Harry Potter." The hooded figure stared silently at the shopkeeper as he waited for an answer to his inquiry. The shopkeeper seemed to think for a moment before he shook his head. "I would have known if the great Harry Potter was living in our humble little village. That boy is a hero!"

The hooded figure seemed to barely suppress his snarl as he hissed to himself, "As if I didn't know…" The hooded figure then nodded to the shopkeeper before leaving the shop. Harry slipped out of the shop, but the figure had disappeared. Shaking his head, he pulled the hood firmly over his head and walked back to the woods to apparate back to his house. The hooded figure seemed to plague his thoughts the entire day as he worked around the house. Most days he would do research, play around on the internet (which was magically enhanced so it didn't short out around his power) or simply practice spells he had perfected a long time ago.

But practicing spells while one's mind wanders could be dangerous as Harry reminded himself with a curse when he almost set his house on fire. Harry kicked a practice dummy in silent frustration before simply entering his house and lying on his bed. The cleanup could wait a while. "A few hours of sleep might allow me to forget whoever it is that was looking for me." With that, Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep. He simply refused to believe that the hooded figure was who he suspected it was.

Hours later, Harry found himself jarred awake by a deafening screech that was silenced in seconds. The wards around his house pulsed and Harry realized that there had to be an intruder near the house. He reached for his wand on the bedside table, but at wasn't there and so he tried to grab his glasses in order to look for it. "Immobulus!" Harry found himself frozen in place as he cursed himself for his error in not realizing that the intruder was already in the house. Never mind in the house, the intruder was already in his room!

For all he knew, the intruder was a death eater who wanted revenge for the fact that he had killed Voldemort. Not that Harry ever actually understood why anyone would want to follow someone who tortured his own followers even more than he tortured his enemies. Harry mentally shook himself. This was no time to be thinking about the motives of other people! He had to find a way to protect himself and…! Harry's mental rant was cut off as a figure stepped into his line of sight. It was the hooded figure from earlier.

"Oh Potter, let me guess. At this very moment, you're thinking that you should have kept yourself vigilant instead of innocently falling asleep on your bed with most of your doors left open. Didn't anyone ever tell you to always keep your doors locked at night?" Harry felt himself grimace as he heard a nickname that could come only from one person. Unfortunately, his suspicions had been correct.

"What the bloody hell Malfoy?!" A chuckle filled the air as the person in question removed the hood from his face. Harry could feel the spell loosen and he prepared to lunge at Draco before he could cast another spell, but Draco simply muttered "Incarcerous" which tied Harry's hands and feet together. "As much as I would love to duel with you again Potter, I actually came to talk, nothing more." Harry heard himself snort at the blonde's words. "Yeah right, if you really wanted to talk you would've knocked on the front door and waited until I opened it. Instead, you have entered my house without permission, attacked me and tied me up."

Harry almost thought Malfoy looked embarrassed as he looked at him, but he quickly erased the idea. Malfoy wouldn't be able to blush even if it was to save his own life. His ego simply just wouldn't allow it. Although on the other hand, Draco was pure Slytherin and as far as he knew they would do just about anything to save their own skins.

"As bad as it does indeed look at the present Potter, I would have thought you would know me better than that. I actually did knock on the door, but it opened on its own and I then noticed the scorch marks on the walls, which lead me to the conclusion that you had been attacked. I found you when you were about to stand up and I didn't feel like dodging spells and curses so I immobilized you until I could tell you this without the ever present threat of the miscommunication between us, coming into play."

Malfoy finished his speech with his trademarked smirk, but it quickly melted from his face when he noticed the shocked look that Harry was giving him. "What is it, Potter? Close your mouth before some unfortunate animal finds its way into it." Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes with a smile. "I think I should record this. The most words Draco Malfoy has ever said to me in a single conversation without cursing me, threatening me or making fun of me. Oh and most of those so called miscommunications, occurred because of your ability to say the wrong things at the worst possible time."

Draco snorted. "Oh, and you were a real ray of sunshine throughout our years at Hogwarts? Face it Potter, it was that temper of yours that made it so easy to rile you up with just a few simple words. Now if we're done baring our souls to one another, I would like to let you go so that we can get back to what I wanted to discuss with you." At Harry's inquisitive gaze he sighed before he continued. "I meant without the threat of you cursing or jinxing me."

Harry nodded and Draco loosened the bonds before hesitantly giving Harry's wand back. Both men froze for a few minutes in order to gauge the other's reaction, but both soon relaxed as much as they could when they realized that neither of them was about to let loose a spell. Harry stood up from the bed, put on his glasses and led the way into his living room. He didn't even want to contemplate the fact that he actually trusted Malfoy enough to believe that he wouldn't just jinx him in the back, but the blond could have done that while he lay tied up on his bed.

The fact that the entire situation had livened up his current boring lifestyle, actually made him want to thank Malfoy for the interruption. Although he would never willingly admit it to Draco's face. Harry poured each of them a glass of firewhisky before taking a seat across from Draco. If anything could prompt his one-time rival to seek him out, then it either had to be very important or very dangerous. Maybe even both if he was lucky.


	2. Chapter 2

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 **Chapter 2: Draco**

Draco glanced at Harry as he placed the glasses between them before sitting down. Outside he might still look like his usual cocky self, but on the inside he was shaking from the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. The day had definitely not gone as he had planned.

He had expected Potter to open the door, after which he had been planning to relay his long practiced speech about why they should work together on a case (after he ensured that Potter didn't hex him that is. After all, even if they have declared a truce, it didn't mean that the brunet actually trusted him now.) but instead he had rushed into panic mode when he had knocked and found that the door had been left ajar.

He had whipped out his wand and entered the house in full Auror mode as he saw the scorch marks on the walls and his mind had immediately believed that a battle had taken place. He had inspected the entire first floor of the house before moving onto the second floor and that's when he had found Harry sleeping in his room. He had been about to check if Harry hadn't been murdered in his sleep, but he then accidentally bumped a bird cage which had woken Harry up instead.

Draco had immediately realized that he would be in trouble if Harry saw him sneaking around his house without giving him a chance to explain, so he had taken the wand before the green-eyed man had been able to grab it in his half-conscious state. Draco had often wished that the bane of his existence would go drop off a cliff somewhere, but the moment he had actually thought that he had lost… no, that Potter was dead, he had almost felt like a part of him had been brutally torn from him.

He knew that in a way his rivalry with Potter was one of the closest things he had to having a true friend since they judged and quarreled with each other without having to care about family status and talent, even if they both had that as well. Not that he would ever admit the fact that he thought Potter had talent, to anyone, much less Potter himself.

Draco was torn from his thoughts when Harry awkwardly cleared his throat before speaking. "Uhm, Malfoy? Was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about? Or were you just going to be content with scaring me half to death?" Draco resumed his cocky smirk before replying. "You, the great Harry Potter, scared to death? Now that would be a scandal the Daily Prophet would give anything to sink their teeth into."

Draco's smirk intensified as Harry almost threw him with a pillow before his face became serious once more. "To be honest with you Potter, I need your help." Harry's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hair in surprise. Draco knew that Harry hadn't expected him to ask for a favor outright, but the case had too much riding on it to let his ego get in the way.

Harry seemed to understand the importance of the case as he only nodded for Draco to continue. "The Ministry received a threat letter about two weeks ago, saying that they were unfit to govern the Wizarding world. The person proposed a game of cat and mouse that would require the Ministry to send in two of their best Aurors to take part in it and the rules were simple. They said that the Aurors had two months, starting from the first day of school, to locate the writer and if they did, they would be rewarded and the Ministry would stop receiving attacks from rebels.

But if they didn't find the culprit or the Ministry chose not to play the game, then the Ministry might find its members disappearing one after another after the two months have ended. In short, if we want to stop this, we are going to have to capture the person or group responsible before the time limit ends."

Harry nodded before a thoughtful look crossed his face. "How do you suppose we infiltrate the school without being recognized then?" Draco drew out a potion from his robes. "I was thinking we could use the polyjuice potion or glamor ourselves then take on the posts of teachers that are absent. The Ministry has authorized any means necessary to catch the culprits, except the use of the unforgivables."

Harry suddenly looked thoughtful as he stood up to search the bookshelf in his study. He pulled out a rather old looking tome before he returned to place it on the table between them. "How 'bout we pose as first years? We might be able to catch the culprit or culprits unaware that way." Draco felt puzzled as he looked at Harry. Surely it couldn't have been this easy to convince him to help? But then again he always was the first one to jump into a dangerous situation. It was so typically Gryffindor.

If he had been a Slytherin, he would probably have denied at the first hint of danger, yet on the other hand, Draco had to remind himself that he also found himself in the middle of the current mess and he wasn't running, at least not yet anyway. "Why Potter, does that mean you will help?" Draco had to use all his willpower to keep an actual smile from forming on his lips.

"Yes Malfoy, it does." It was evident in Potter's smirk that Draco wasn't really succeeding in keeping his smile at bay. "Then we will follow your plan to pose as first years, on one condition." Potter looked confused for a moment before he downed his firewhisky and relented. "Name it." Draco glanced from the book to Harry. "The ritual must not diminish our power along with our bodies." Harry nodded his acceptance. "The ritual won't diminish our power. If fact it will only hide our true forms from anyone but each other since we will be doing the spell within the same circle."

Draco looked a bit skeptic at this. "But everyone would recognize us if we are only being transformed into our younger selves." Harry shook his head. "No, that is where the spell of the ritual makes things interesting. We will be able to change our features as well as our eye and hair color like we want."

Draco seemed to think for a moment. "Wouldn't that make this a forbidden ritual?" The only answer he got was a mischievous smile and Draco groaned out load before downing his own glass. "If you drag me into trouble Potter, I swear I am going to make you pay for it." Harry laughed before pouring each of them another glass of firewhisky. "And here I thought you liked trouble." Draco looked Harry up and down then mentally whispered to himself, _"Only when you are involved."_ Draco thought for a moment then smirked. "I guess the Ministry will just have to keep their promise then."

 _ **Thank you to those who are following this story.**_


	3. Chapter 3 Preparations

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _You might note in the future chapters that I have deviated a lot from the books and movies because, to be honest, I do not like it when my favorite characters die. But I have left some deaths as they are, but only when it brings the characters closer together. (That doesn't mean there won't be any drama though.)_

 _I have decided to write each chapter between the points of views of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, hence the fact that I provide the name of the person next to the chapter. I may also provide the point of view of other characters when their actions or thoughts are important with regards to the storyline, but I will clearly indicate this to avoid confusion._

 _ **Thank you for those who have reviewed so far and who are following this story, I realized that chapter 2 was a bit short, so I decided to publish chapter 3 as well in order to say thank you**_ _ **.**_

 **Chapter 3: Preparations (Harry)**

 **One week later – August 31** **st**

Their preparations were finally ready and Harry found himself standing awkwardly in front of the Malfoy Mansion as rain drenched his clothes. He obviously knew a few spells to shield against the rain, but his thoughts were preoccupied with a film of brutal distorted memories that seemed to have taken over his mind. To Harry it seemed like he was once again hearing Hermione's tortured screams as the Cruciatis curse was performed on her, he again buried Dobby in the sand after the house elf had saved their lives and he relived the feeling of loss as he saw the people he loved and cared for, being killed all around him.

He trembled as he once again felt the fear when he realized that he was the final Horcrux. Hands roughly gripped his shoulders and a familiar voice slowly pierced his dreamlike state. "What the bloody hell Potter? Are you trying to weasel yourself out of working with me by catching your death in the rain?!" Harry found himself being dragged inside the gates and up some stairs before he was pushed into a room. He could barely focus on the furniture in the room before Draco unceremoniously stripped him down and pushed him into the bathroom where the shower turned itself on.

Without any notice Harry found himself pushed into the shower where the warm water finally broke through the last remnants of his abused senses. He stood under the warm spray until he felt in control of his senses once again. Then he stayed there even longer when he realized that Malfoy could have easily dried him off with a spell. Granted it wouldn't have had the same calming effect, but it would have been a lot quicker and less work.

Harry leaned against the shower wall as the warm spray cascaded onto his back. He glanced at his body and winced at the thought of Draco seeing the scars that riddled his body. Then again, Malfoy wouldn't ever lower himself to watching the body of another man, Harry was sure of that. The tons of girls that Malfoy had dated, actually attested to the fact that he was most definitely straight.

The thought made him feel less embarrassed about the fact that he had literally just been stripped by Draco Malfoy, but a niggling feeling of sadness seemed to have taken its place. _"Oh no, you don't!"_ Harry scolded himself and promptly buried the feeling away as deep as he could. _"There is no way that, that would ever work, never mind the fact that it could never happen!"_

A soft knock on the door interrupted his musings and Harry quickly jumped out of the shower and got dressed. "Just a minute!" he said as he threw on the pants and shirt which Draco had apparently left for him. A few seconds later Harry almost found himself walking straight into Malfoy as he rushed to exit the bathroom.

The blond placed his hands on the brunet's shoulders as he steadied them both before looking Harry straight in the eye. "I'm sorry. I thought that you wouldn't be plagued by what happened in this house if we didn't go into that section of the building. I rarely even go there myself for the same reasons. I never expected that you would relive the stuff that had happened here in such a vivid manner."

Harry felt his eyes widen in surprise. "How did you know what I was experiencing?" Draco dropped his arms and turned to the side while dropping his head awkwardly. "I kind of experienced it with you somehow when I touched your shoulder to try and snap you out of whatever daydream you were in when you didn't answer my question. That elf, Dobby… You buried him yourself?" Harry nodded as he guiltily glanced away. Draco would probably think that it had been his fault that the elf had died.

After all, he probably wouldn't have died if he had stayed with the Malfoys. "Thank you." The brunet's head snapped up in surprise. "What?" The blond shook his head solemnly. "I am thanking you for the fact that you had freed him from my father's service and that you had buried him properly when he died. He was a courageous elf and he had often protected me from my father's wrath when I was young. My father had developed a feeling of hate towards him since then and I had always been afraid that he would go one step too far. Dobby's deepest wish had always been to protect those he cared about and he had fulfilled that wish. He truly was courageous till the very end."

Harry looked at Malfoy and he could swear he saw a slight smile on his lips, even though his eyes also portrayed the sadness he felt. It was really strange to see a Malfoy with emotion but it could also just have been a trick of the light. He didn't know what to say after that though since it felt strange to be thanked for doing something that was right, so he opted for a casual response. "I did it because I wanted to. Dobby was a friend and I wanted to give him a proper burial. I felt that I would be able to thank him that way."

Malfoy nodded then motioned for him to follow him. Harry followed the blond through the bedroom door and walked into what seemed to be a huge open-plan living area. An office took up most of the space on the right-hand side of the room and it had a huge collection of books on shelves that took up space on the walls around it. In the center of the office space, in front of a window, there stood a huge desk and office chair with a couch that took up space in front of the desk.

A coffee table had been placed near the couch, making it clear that it was where Malfoy usually sat when he studied or read. The rest of the room held a sitting area, a small dining area and what seemed to be a small kitchen with a fridge. Oddly enough, the entire space wasn't decorated in only greens and silvers as Harry would have expected from a Slytherin, but instead, it held the same range of colors his own home did.

Harry smirked at the thought, but as much as he wanted to tease Malfoy about his decorating choices, he knew they had a whole lot of preparations that they still needed to do if they wanted to be ready to board the Hogwarts Express the next day. Malfoy said something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like _"H.J.P"_ , but Harry knew he had to have heard wrong as a flight of stairs started spiraling down into the ground.

He followed Malfoy down the gloomy stairs which opened up in a huge underground room. The ritual circle had already been drawn on the one side of the room while two vials waited for them on a table next to it. Harry glanced to the other side of the room and saw that it held a potions lab complete with books and bottles with questionable contents. There was also a range of cauldron sizes and ladles. "You know, if Snape were here, he would probably drool if he saw your extensive potions lab."

Harry started to smile at the thought but Malfoy's snicker interrupted the moment. "You probably didn't know this Potter, but Snape is my godfather and he personally built up this potions lab for me as my 'coming of age' present. Harry felt his jaw drop for a moment until he saw the smirk on Draco's mouth. "You're kidding me, right?"

Harry knew Malfoy wouldn't joke around about such things, but his mind was seriously kicking against the idea of believing Draco. _"I mean come on; this is Severus Snape we're talking about here."_ Harry thought to himself. "Well Potter if you are through with trying to get over your shock, you might want to remember that we are running on borrowed time here since your impromptu shower hadn't been calculated in on the time this ritual will take to finish."

Harry blushed slightly at being caught out, but he nodded and grabbed one of the vials, then stepped into the circle with his wand ready. Malfoy followed his lead and did the same while taking his place opposite Harry. Both counted to three before uncorking and then downing the contents of the vials. Harry grimaced at the taste of the contents and saw that Draco was doing the same before they threw the vials outside the circle.

"You know Potter, I never would've imagined you trusting me enough to drink something I have concocted and may have poisoned," Draco said with that trademark smug smile of his. Harry laughed before answering, "Well you do realize that you could have killed me on numerous occasions since last week, so I'm not worried." Draco just shook his head in response then both of them fell silent as they prepared themselves to chant their piece.

As the chanting started, each man removed himself from the world until they could only hear the other's voice in the distance. The ritual required them to chant the verse while the potion worked its way through their bodies. As the potion dissolved from their bodies, they would have to form the image of how they want to look like, in their minds, without losing their place in the chant or mixing up the verses of the chant. Once the image has been accepted, they would change the chant to a longer and stronger chant that would help them to keep their acquired form until they desired to discard it. In their case, it would be once the culprit or culprits had been caught.


	4. Chapter 4 Revelations

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Thank you for all the reviews and for those who are following the story, I really appreciate it._

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 **Three hours later**

 **Chapter 4: Revelations (Draco)**

Draco felt the daze he had slipped into, fade as the circle pulsed around them. His consciousness returned to a fully awakened state and he finished his chant with the last verse still echoing in the large room as he heard Harry do the same. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that the room seemed to look bigger than before. He then looked down at his hands and saw that they were now small and childlike, which gave him a shock even though he had expected the change. It consoled him that he would at least be able to see Harry's adult form and vice versa when it was needed because it would actually take concentration to see past the 'small child' facade.

He looked up at Harry to try it out and realized with a shock that the savior of the wizarding world seemed to have copied some of Draco's features, such as his hair and his previous height, although a different hairstyle had been added to avoid suspicion. Harry's eyes were still the color of emeralds though and he had only slightly changed the form of his face. Draco smirked as he saw Harry's own reaction when he realized that Draco had done the same thing but in reverse. Draco now had Harry's hair color in a different style, as well as his height, but his silver eyes were still the same along with a slightly modified face. He decided to give credit where it was due and looked up into Harry's eyes after looking at his appearance.

"Well Potter, I must say. The ritual seemed to have worked perfectly even with the slight modifications we added to it. It even shrunk our clothes." Draco grinned as Harry nodded shyly at the praise before he flicked his wand to cast a wordless spell. In seconds the floor had cleaned itself off and the shattered glass vials were whole once more.

"And it seemed like we kept our knowledge and our original level of power as well," Harry said with a smile. Draco frowned at this. "So you mean to say that you weren't sure that it was going to keep our power intact, even though you said it would?" Harry shook his head before looking at the ground with a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "This is the first time two wizards have done it in one single circle and I have heard that it sort of diminishes the power of the weaker wizard when it was done in two separate circles at the same time." Draco felt anger boiling up in him as he heard Potter's words, but he stopped himself from giving in when he realized that he actually felt stronger than he had ever been before. "Potter, let me ask you one thing before I give into this feeling of obliterating you."

Harry visibly gulped as he saw the anger on Draco's face, but he nodded in response. "Do you also feel stronger than you had ever been before?" Draco smirked inwardly as Harry seemed to think about this before shocked emerald eyes met his own and nodded. Draco sighed and relaxed. "I see. This means that because we did the spell in the same circle, we may have figured out a way to boost out powers by having half of each other's power added to our own volume of power." Draco inwardly smirked at the idea that they had actually created a new and improved version of the ritual because of Potter's mistake, but it didn't allow him to forget that the ritual could have also halved their power as well.

"For now I forgive you, but just so you know, I would have practically killed you if my power had lessened even a little after you had promised me it wouldn't." Draco knew this wasn't true but he also knew that he had to get his point across. He wanted Potter to trust him, even if it was to just say that they were going to try an alternate version of a spell that may or may not work. This would at least allow him to come up with a counter spell before anything happened even though he knew that it was typical that Harry actually acted more through his gut than his actual thoughts.

Draco looked over at Harry, who was now visibly waiting for him to either lose his temper and insult him or ignore him. "Come, Potter, we have to get everything ready for tomorrow. Both our text books have already been delivered so all we need to do is pack our trunks." He didn't miss the surprised look Harry gave him as he moved to follow him up the stairs. But it didn't take long until Harry's curiosity overshadowed the fact that they were trying to get everything ready for the following day. "You know Malfoy, I've been wondering about something for a while now."

Draco kept his grin to himself as him mind predicted what Harry was going to say. "Why haven't the school been closed yet in order to catch the culprit?" Draco sighed at Harry's predictableness but kept on walking up the stairs as he spoke. "The case was dropped on my desk and so they decided to leave it to me. They gave the rest of the cases I had been working on to my coworkers and left me to deal with this one. They didn't want to close the school because they didn't want to start a panic and since there was no mention of the students being in any danger, they decided to let school resume normally except for the fact that me and whoever I chose as a partner, would be conducting our investigations around the school in secret. I decided that you would be a better partner than any of those other imbeciles and that is why I asked you to help me in the first place."

Harry seemed to think for a moment and Draco found himself dreading whatever the once golden boy would have to say next since it would probably be the truth and he didn't want to admit anything to Potter just yet. He also didn't want him to know that Draco had outright refused anyone the Ministry had wanted to suggest as his partner and in the end they had suggested that he would have to try and sway Potter into helping him. Not that he minded since it was what he had been planning all along, but he didn't want to let Harry know that he was the only one Draco would ever be able to trust in any given situation where their lives were involved. And that said a lot even after their rivalry in their years at Hogwarts.

"So what you are actually saying Malfoy, is that you trust me enough to not abandon you if and when this whole situation came down to a duel." Draco heaved a sigh of relief because of the fact that Harry seemed to have misunderstood his words and he then shook his head in exasperation before he answered. "Yes Potter, that is what I mean since we both know that most, if not all my acquaintances would likely chicken out at even the smallest hint of trouble, even if they are supposed to be Aurors." It was typical that Harry wouldn't see his own true worth, but Draco left it at that since it seemed like a convenient excuse. "It also helps a lot that you have real life experience in both defensive and offensive spells and you have a knack for getting into dangerous situations. As such, I thought that I might save you the trouble of getting involved now rather than later." Draco could see that Harry wanted to deny it, but he grinned when the once golden boy was unable to come up with any retort except the obvious.

"I'm not that bad Malfoy, trouble just seems to follow me wherever I go. Name one time I actually went out and looked for danger on purpose." Draco thought for a moment then realized that there were only two things that would prompt Harry to go looking for danger. That was when danger either struck first or if he didn't know his actions would lead to danger in the first place. "I can't think of any situation where you actually purposely looked for danger, but I do know that you would do anything to save the people who you care about and this makes it easy for enemies to draw you out."

Harry looked like he was about to deny it, but he just shook his head which allowed Draco to continue making his point. "As far as I know, and this is important because I have been watching you since we first met, you would even save an enemy if you were certain that they would not bring any harm to the ones you care about. That compassion is what could very easily lead you into a great deal of trouble." When Harry still didn't say anything, Draco grabbed his arm lightly and led him to the dining table where elves had placed their meal upon his earlier commands. As they sat down, Draco found himself glancing at Harry again while trying to determine what he was thinking about. Obviously, his earlier words had been made with the intent of making Harry think, but something else seemed to troubling him now. "Potter, are you alright?" Draco waited for a minute before leaning over and touching his cheek. "Harry talk to me. Did I say something that bothered you? Well other than the obvious truth." The touch and the words seemed to snap him out from his thoughts and he looked back at Draco with a worried expression before squeezing Draco's hand back.

Harry shook his head but as Draco arched his brow and gave him a pointed look in order to get Harry to tell him the truth, it seemed like something else took over whatever thoughts the savior had and he burst out laughing. Draco was happy that Harry could take his mind off of what had obviously bothered him, but he really didn't like the feeling of being left out. Not if he could help Harry with the thoughts that had distressed him and if he knew what made Harry now laugh as carefree as he did, then he wanted to be able to make him laugh more often. He waited till Harry calmed down before giving him the look again in order to convey that Harry still had a question to answer, but he burst out laughing again. This made Draco glance at a mirror that had been placed near the table and he found himself laughing as well. It was extremely strange to see the arched eyebrow expression when it looked like it was coming from his disguised face. For a moment he could almost imagine what it would have looked like if their roles had been reversed at school. Enjoying the now relieved atmosphere, both of them started eating.

Draco glanced at the clock after they ate and decided that it was time to head to bed. He motioned Harry towards him and led the way to a door that had appeared next to his room. "The house elves have prepared this room for you." Draco grinned at Harry's puzzled look. "It will make things a lot easier if we stick together from the beginning." Harry nodded and entered the room without bothering to close the door. Draco said goodnight before moving over to his own room and then also deciding against closing his own door. It felt strange but he knew he would need to be able to hear Harry if whatever had happened earlier, happened again. Draco showered then got into bed after pulling on black pajama pants and only a few minutes passed before he was sound asleep.

 _ **Thank you to the people who reviewed and to those who are following this fanfic.**_


	5. Chapter 5 Nightmares

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 **Chapter 5: Nightmares (Harry)**

Harry listened closely as Draco moved to enter his own room. It's not like he was scared or anything, but he was able to distract his mind from the house much easier when he knew that Draco had also left his bedroom door open. He knew he should have been wary about the fact that his one-time arch rival was sleeping in the room right next to his, but after years of an uneasy truce between them as well as the latest development, Harry at least felt that he could trust Draco.

He found himself grinning at the thought of what Ron and Hermione would say if he actually admitted it to them. He knew Ron would have a near-heart attack and then he would recover with a fit while stating that he refused to believe that Harry could think that without any proof that stated that Harry wasn't under some kind of spell, curse or jinx. Hermione might believe him and offer her support, or she might side with her husband and demand that they check Harry for any influences just in case Draco was controlling his mind.

The sudden sound of water running made Harry realize that Draco was taking a shower before bed. It felt like torture to know that there was something he really wanted but couldn't have in the room right next to his. He had only figured it out once Draco had saved his life though and by then he knew the damage that their rivalry had done, couldn't be reversed. He knew Draco kept on saying that he forgave him for the agony Harry had caused him in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom because of the fact that he cast a spell he didn't know the consequences of, but Harry still couldn't forgive himself for it no matter how much he had hated Draco at that time.

The water shut off and Harry imagined Draco getting out of the shower and pulling on whatever he slept in. It was making it very hard for him to not just stand up and confront Draco about his feelings, but also to maybe be able to hug him close and kiss him even though Harry knew he didn't have any right to do that. He turned around and glared at the opposite wall. Trust him to mess up his love life with the one person that mattered, even years before it even started. Harry honestly didn't know why Draco had accepted his apology in the first place and he also didn't know why Draco had requested him to help him, but it gave him just a little hope that maybe Draco didn't hate him as much as he thought after all. Yet every time he got the courage to tell or show Draco how he felt, even though he still felt guilty, it seemed to subtly drift into him mind that Draco was straight while Harry was not.

Harry clutched the blankets over his body before placing his glasses on the bedside table and his wand underneath his pillow. Draco might not know about it, but he had ensured that Harry learned his lesson about not keeping his wand extremely close. Next time an intruder broke in it might not just be someone like Draco who needed or wanted his help. Harry then closed his eyes and fell asleep hoping to dream about a certain blond next door.

Harry felt rather than saw the figures as they approached him in the darkness. His whole body shivered as he turned around and saw that every shadow seemed to carry a different face. But he was unable to cry out in fear as he realized that it was the faces of the people he hadn't been able to save during the war. Some of them seemed to tear the voice from his throat while others restrained his limbs even as he tried to fight them to get away. He felt as though he was sinking into a black abyss as he finally gave up struggling. Maybe they were right to want to take his life when he had been the reason that they had lost theirs.

But the thought was replaced immediately when he realized that someone was calling his name. At first, he wanted to ignore it and drift away even further but the voice sounded so familiar, urgent and scared that he was able to easily shrug off the restraints around him and move towards the voice.

Harry suddenly found himself wide awake as a familiar scent seemed to possess the air around him and he realized that someone was holding him while whispering into his ear. "Harry it wasn't your fault that you couldn't save them. Stuff like that happens sometimes. Please wake up. I don't like it when you are in so much pain." Harry was stunned and confused as he realized that Draco was actually hugging him close as he begged for him to wake up. Draco must have cast a Lumos spell he noticed distractedly as a faint light surrounded them. The worry in Draco's voice urged him to hug him back to calm him down and so Harry decided to do just that. It felt nice having Draco so close even though they were technically 11 years old at the moment. "It's okay Malfoy, I'm okay." Draco just seemed to hug him tighter before sitting back a little. "Are you sure? I heard you screaming in your sleep and when I touched your shoulder to try and wake you up, the images carried over to me again."

Both Draco and Harry stared at each other, one in confusion and one in worry. "You saw my dreams Malfoy?" Draco nodded but Harry could see how scared he was. "You're not a legilimens are you?" This time Draco shook his head. "I can do legilimens when I cast the spell, but I didn't cast it on you. You were in so much distress at the gate that I just wanted to snap you out of it by touching your shoulder and just now when you were having that nightmare, I did the same. Yet earlier when I led you to the basement, nothing happened even though we were touching so I believe it only happens when you are distressed. Although I still don't know how or why it happens that way." Harry nodded then thought for a moment. "Well whatever it is, we are going to have to figure it out while we work on the case."

Harry looked around the room and saw that it was still very dark outside. He fished his wand out from under the pillow and cast a tempus spell. It was barely past three in the morning and they still had a few hours of potential sleep before they had to get ready. He turned to Draco. "I guess we have to head back to bed if we want to be ready for our first day back at Hogwarts." Draco didn't seem too happy about the idea of heading to his own bed and Harry felt hope rise in his chest, but he decided that Draco probably just didn't want to get woken up by his cries again.

"You know Potter, this bed is big enough for two and I really don't feel like going all the way back to my own room now. You wouldn't mind if I stayed would you?" Harry was taken aback for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "No I wouldn't mind, you are welcome to stay." Harry moved to the one side of the bed to give Draco some space to lie down but he got tangled in his sheets in the process and the abrupt shifting of his body weight caused him to go over the edge of the bed. He closed his eyes and waited for his body to hit the ground, but a pair of arms grabbed him and he was pulled back against Draco's chest.

Harry took a few deep breaths, but the feeling of being in Draco's arms and against his chest was causing his heartbeat to go into overdrive. "You okay Potter?" Harry nodded and subtly snuggled into Draco's chest. "You can call me by my name you know." Draco nodded and Harry could feel his arms slightly tighten around him before he let go of him. Draco moved to the other side of the bed and climbed under the covers before looking back at Harry. "Then you should call me by my first name as well. Honestly, I don't know why we didn't do it after the war ended in the first place." Harry smiled and also settled in beneath the covers.

He was about to close his eyes when Draco's voice echoed around the room. "You know P-Harry, I've been wondering about something. Harry turned around and faced him. "What have you been wondering about?" He could hear Draco turning around to face him as well. "Where did you get that book? I mean a book like that would usually be locked away at the Ministry or it would be carefully hidden away somewhere." Harry nodded as if deep in thought, but he knew he was smiling. "I nicked it off a wizard that day they brought us to the manor. It seemed ancient and important so I decided to take it before Voldemort got his hands on it. It's only when I actually read it that I saw how dangerous it actually would have been if he had actually gotten his hands on it."

Silence followed his words and he moved closer to Draco in order to see if he was still awake. His movements seemed to startle Draco out of his shock because he sat upright and leaned over Harry in one quick motion. "You mean to tell me that you were the one that stole the book?" Harry nodded and kept silent. After all, wasn't that what he had just said? Draco clutched his shirt with a fist and slightly pulled Harry off his cushion. Harry didn't resist because he knew Draco didn't intend to hurt him, but he really didn't know why the other boy was acting as if he'd been told something dreadful. He stared up at Draco and noticed that he actually looked sick to his stomach and Harry felt a wave of dread flow over him. "Draco, are you alright? You don't look so good."

Draco didn't answer and this prompted Harry to release Draco's hand from his shirt before pulling him close and lying back against the headboard with him in his arms. Usually, he would have been too scared of what Draco would say, to pull him close in such a way, but the now dark-haired boy had started to shake. "Please Draco, tell me what's wrong." Harry heard a shaky sigh as Draco hugged himself tightly against him and he rubbed his back. Finally, the brunet seemed calm enough to speak. "H-Harry, the Dark Lord had actually been waiting for that very book. He gave me the mission to retrieve the book, but after I found it I couldn't deliver it to him because he gave me another mission and he sent another death eater to deliver it instead. When you brought out the book, I thought that you just found a copy of it or that it fell into your hands after the war."

Harry felt the wave of dread increase as he realized the turn that their conversation was about to take. But he still stayed silent since he didn't want to make it any harder than it already was. "As you can guess, the death eater lost the book which ruined one of the Dark Lord's most important plans and he paid the price for it. I guess the Dark Lord had been planning to use the same ritual we used earlier in order to infiltrate the castle and maybe even kill you in your sleep. As you know, a few of us had been forced to be marked as death eaters by our families and we were all looking for a way to steal the book without the deed being traced back to us. Even Severus tried to find a way to exchange the book with a fake. Yet we were unable to interfere. We were all glad when the book disappeared on its own, but the Dark Lord demonstrated his anger on the death eater by first having the cruciatis curse placed on him for hours on end and then throwing him into the dungeon where the other death eaters were permitted to do anything they wanted with him for a week before the Dark Lord finally cast the killing curse on him."

Harry only felt a little sorry for the death eater since the man himself had probably murdered thousands of people. But then it hit him that it would have been Draco's fate if Draco hadn't been given the order to give the book to the other death eater. The thought made him sick to his stomach and he pulled Draco even closer against him. Draco buried against his chest. Neither of them wanted to speak about it any further, but Harry felt like he had to clarify something to Draco. "You know Draco; I wouldn't have stolen the book from you if it had been you carrying it. You may not believe me since we practically hated each other at that time, but you didn't sell us out when you were asked to identify us and I would have wanted to repay that favor by not getting you killed by Voldemort. Although I wouldn't have taken it even if you had admitted who we were if I am, to be honest with myself."

Draco was clearly confused and Harry gave a wry smile. He wasn't about to confess to Draco that he had been in love with him for years. "Come on lets sleep. We only have a few hours of sleep left before we have to get up and get ready." He knew they were supposed to be sleeping on opposite ends of the bed but neither of them made a move to put some distance between them so they stayed like they were and the last thing Harry remembers is that he could have sworn that Draco pressed a light kiss to his collarbone before they both fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

 _ **Thank you for all the follows and reviews**_


	6. Chapter 6 The Sorting

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Reviews:_

Missfroogy – Both Draco and Harry obviously like each other, but it's still going to take a while for their relationship to progress to the point where they can actually confess their feelings. All your other questions will be answered in this chapter. Thank you for your review.

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

 **1 September**

 **Chapter 6: The Sorting (Draco)**

Draco slowly woke to the smell of breakfast and for a moment he was confused as to where he was. Then he remembered the previous night which jolted him fully awake and he looked around to find that Harry wasn't in the room. The sound of a shower switching on hinted to him that Harry was in the bathroom and he slowly got up and made his way to his own room. He quickly showered, got dressed and brushed his teeth and made his way to the dining table where Winky was setting up the last dishes for breakfast. Harry stepped into the room just as he sat down and Draco could see by the expression on his face that he was on a mission.

"Morning, slept well?" Harry nodded with a faint blush and sat down. "Yes, I did thank you, although I must confess that there are still a few things that are bothering me about the plan." Draco arched an eyebrow then started placing food on his plate as he wondered why Harry was questioning his plan now of all times. He didn't say anything until they both had food on their plates though. "What is it about the plan that is bothering you? I thought it was pretty much straight forward and easy enough to understand." Harry swallowed a mouth full of bacon before reaching for his orange juice and looking at Draco. "I know you said that the Ministry only expects us to contact them once we catch the culprit or when we really need their help, but why would they risk us going deep undercover without expecting us to at least let them know what's going on?"

Draco gave Harry a pointed look then shook his head. "Think about it Harry, the Ministry itself doesn't know who to trust in their ranks. They would rather risk not knowing than helping a spy that could easily monitor our progress and who would then be able to stay out of our reach every time we try and catch the ones responsible. It is also for the same reason that we will not be revealing ourselves to anyone in the school. We don't know anything yet so the only thing we can do at the moment is to play our parts as two innocent first years and sneak around until we are able to find some clues. It is a good thing that we are registered as each other's guardians for the purpose of this task, however since we would be able to watch each other's backs more closely."

Harry thought for a moment. "You're right, it was a brilliant idea to place our original selves under the cover of another identity and then to make these forms their offspring. No one would suspect that both forms don't exist if we write to each other as such." Draco grinned and nodded. "That is the plan." Harry nodded and they finished eating in silence as they each thought of the task ahead. Once they were done, Winky cleaned the table and they went to their rooms to pack the last of their stuff and to make sure that they had everything they needed.

Draco placed his stuff together then went to Harry's room to see if he was finished. The now blonde brunet looked up as Draco entered his room and he was surprised to see two small metallic snakes on Harry's bed. One of the snakes was silver and the other snake was bronze. As Harry spoke what seemed to be Parseltongue, the bronze snake unfurled itself and crept up his left arm until it curled around his wrist and locking in a bracelet form. "Uhm Harry? What are those?" Harry looked up and motioned him closer until Draco sat next to him on the bed with the silver snake in between them. "Hold out your arm close to it."

Draco did as he was told and held his right arm next to the silver snake. Another command from Harry made the snake crawl up his arm and then curl around his own wrist in a bracelet identical to Harry's. "I had the bracelets made for protection. As you said, we don't know what or who were are going to face so I thought we should at least have something we can use to get out of trouble. No one will be able to remove the bracelets since they can only be removed with a command in parseltongue and they can shield against most spells and curses. They also have a portkey function, but it can only be used once since it was made to break through any ward unnoticed."

Draco had to admit, he was impressed. "Will it stay undetected when we pass the wards at Hogwarts?" Harry nodded. "I charmed them myself using that book. The bracelet will use your magic to power it once it's needed until then it will stay dormant and appear like any other uncharmed piece of jewelry." Draco felt himself grin. He really wanted to get his hands on that book. Who knew, it could be filled with all kinds of potions and spells that he could use, but for now, he had to focus on the mission. "Thanks. I never expected you to be into snakes." Harry smirked back at him. "There's a lot about me that you don't know Draco."

Draco wanted to ask what he meant, but he knew they would be late if they lingered any longer. It was almost 10:30 and they still had to get to the station. Luckily they were able to shrink their suitcases before they apparated to an abandoned part of the station, making sure that no one noticed that two 11-year-old boys had just apparated. At least the magic took their real body weight into account. They then easily weaved their way through the crowd until they came upon the wall between platforms nine and ten. As they stepped through the wall and onto platform 9 ¾, Draco had to admit that he had missed the simplicity of being young.

After they boarded the train, they un-shrunk their suitcases and stowed it away before closing the door to their compartment and shutting the blinds. They didn't want anyone to overhear their conversations so they cast a Muffliato spell as well. They sat in silence for a while before Draco realized that Harry was actually grinning happily as he settled down. "What are you thinking about Harry?" He shook his head before seeming to rethink for a second before he answered Draco's question. "This is the first time I will be able to go to Hogwarts without having people stare at me just because they saw me as The Boy Who Lived. I can't wait to see what it would be like to go to class without everybody staring and whispering about something they heard, every time I enter a room."

Draco felt himself nodding. He understood really well what Harry meant since he himself had been the center of a lot of talk and speculation in their Hogwarts years. He hadn't really minded it much at the beginning, but it became tiring to keep up appearances when all he actually wanted was a real friend. " _Well not that I had much chance to think about it at that time. It would have been great if I could have included Harry in my schemes in those years instead of plotting against him the entire time though."_

Draco wanted to remind Harry that they were going to Hogwarts for a mission, but he didn't have the heart to tell Harry just yet. He looked at the other boy and found that Harry looked more excited than he had in years. _"I'll remind him later. It's going to feel strange to go to school with someone who used to be my arch rival."_ The thought made him smirk. It would have been the biggest scandal ever if the people had seen the two of them being friendly to one another in those years. He could almost imagine the headlines. _"Boy Who Lived and suspected Death Eater Draco Malfoy, friends?!"_ Everyone would have probably thought Harry was turning evil, Draco thought wryly. Shouts sounded out around them as frantic parents hurried to say one last goodbye to their children and the last of the students hurried to get on the train. A quick tempus spell revealed that it was almost time for the train to leave.

Draco didn't expect anyone else to try and enter their compartment though since everyone thought it was cursed. Harry seemed to pick up on the lack of footsteps near their door though. "Usually the compartments are overflowing, why isn't anyone knocking on our door?" Draco just shrugged his shoulders, but Harry's curious gaze prompted him to answer. "They all think this compartment's cursed." Interest sparked in Harry's eyes and Draco inwardly groaned before adding, "No it's not really cursed, some previous student used that as an excuse to have a compartment all to himself. He charmed the glass on the compartment door to reflect a gruesome image back to whoever looks into it and even first years who don't know the legend are easily scared away by the other students who actually know about it. Most students believe that it shows you the way you are going to die and others believe that it actually shows you the tortured souls stuck in the compartment."

Harry seemed really confused as Draco explained things to him so Draco sighed. "Would it help if I said that it was Severus who placed the spell on the compartment?" A shocked silence followed his words and Draco smirked at the stunned expression on Harry's face. It was nice to catch him off-guard every now and then. "I know my godfather mentioned something about you seeing some of his memories once so I believe you know why." Harry nodded silently, but he didn't give any further explanation. Draco itched to know what Harry had seen since his godfather simply refused to tell him anything about his years at Hogwarts, but the strained look on Harry's face made him realize that it was probably not the best memory to bring up at the moment.

The train whistle sounded and they felt a slight jerk as the train started moving. Goodbyes sounded up all around them as the train picked up speed and soon Draco was able to open the blinds so that they could look at the scenery as it sped by. He looked at it for a few moments before moving to the opposite bench and sitting next to Harry. "You know we never spoke about how we are going to work together if we are placed in different houses. I'm pretty sure the relationships between the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses are still as bad as ever so it's going to be hard to work together even though we would probably be able to cover more ground that way."

Draco watched Harry and wondered why he didn't look too worried. "You know if you have some kind of trick up your sleeve, that would enable us to be placed in the same house, I really want to know about it." Harry just shook his head then smiled mischievously. "I'll tell you after the sorting. I would tell you one thing though; we will most definitely end up in the same house." Draco huffed. "And how do you suppose you will get into Slytherin? We both know that I am going to be sorted there again and you were sorted into Gryffindor. It's not like the hat is going to change its mind." Harry just shook his head with a smile to indicate that he refused to let Draco in on his secret, at least for now and it infuriated Draco, but he let it go. "Fine then, you remember what name you are registered under right?"

Harry nodded then thought for a bit. "You registered me as Harold James so I suppose I will easily remember it. I just didn't expect you to register yourself as Draconis Malfius. Any closer to your original name and you could be sued for impersonating yourself." Draco felt a smirk cross his lips. "Yes well, it would make it a lot easier to hide in plain sight since a couple of students in our year are already named Harry and Draco." Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. "You're kidding me right?" Draco shook his head. As much as he wanted to be fooling around right now, it wasn't a joke. "We will have to keep an eye on them just in case the culprits think that they are us." Harry was still gaping at him. "You know Harry; our rivalry was kind of legendary at school. The boys are brother's though, so I reckon that we used to know their parents."

Harry nodded but he still looked dazed. "If you keep this up I might think you are part guppy." Harry gave him a dirty look and closed his mouth, but it was obvious that he chose to ignore Draco's words instead. A relaxed silence filled the compartment and Draco fished out his books in order to see if they would be studying anything new while they were in school. He wondered if he should tell Harry that Severus still taught potions, but he decided against it. Harry might not know it yet, but Severus wasn't the same man he had been before he had nearly died. Harry had saved a lot more than just Sev's life and he will be in for a shock once he got to know the real Snape. Draco glanced over to Harry and saw that he was also reviewing their books, and then he grimaced slightly. "We will probably have to make a few mistakes during our classes, otherwise they will easily be able to pick us out." Harry just nodded in agreement before they both resigned themselves to revision.

It was dark when the train finally rolled into Hogsmeade. Draco and Harry made their way to where the first years gathered and they were the only one who wasn't surprised to see Hagrid. They followed him to the boats and waited patiently until they could finally board last. They were alone in the last boat and instead of looking at the castle; they were looking into the dark water below. There was a reason why only the first years got to take the boat ride over the lake and that was because they didn't know about the giant squid yet. Draco and Harry could both see a slight luminescent glow as the squid silently slid through the water beneath them. If one didn't pay much attention, you would think that it was only the lights of the castle reflecting upon the water, but they knew better.

The other side of the lake came into view and soon they were on solid ground again. Draco and Harry took their time as the students walked up to the castle gates in single file. They were soon met by Professor Flitwick who had taken over the position of Deputy Headmaster after Dumbledore's death. Flitwick explained that their names would be called and they would be sorted into their houses by the sorting hat.

Draco felt glad to be able to walk up the stairs and through the large doors as Harry's friend and not his enemy. They came to a standstill in front of the stairs that led to where the staff sat and waited patiently for Professor Flitwick to read through the list of names. The sorting was pretty even, as each house gained about three students before Draco heard his name. "Draconis Malfius." Draco stepped forward and sat on the chair. _"Ah Mr. Malfoy, I see you have returned in order to take care of a little problem for the Ministry?"_ Draco nodded while hoping that the sorting hat didn't reveal his real identity. _"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. I see you dragged Harry along as well. Yes, this year will be interesting to watch."_ Draco was about to tell the hat to just get on with it, but the hat was already calling out his chosen house. "SLYTHERIN." The Slytherins clapped as he made his way to their table. He sat down and anxiously awaited Harry's turn.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to wait long before Professor Flitwick called out Harry's name. "Harold James." He stepped forward and sat on the chair. Draco felt his heart hammering hard in his chest. Would Harry be in Gryffindor again? He sure didn't hope so. They would have a lot of trouble communicating if he was placed in Gryffindor again and that could lead to the failure of the mission. The seconds ticked by and Draco decided with a huff that the hat was probably delaying the answer on purpose. But he couldn't keep his eyes off the apparent conversation between Harry and the hat. Harry's eyes met his with a wink and Draco frowned in annoyance. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the hat seemed content to scream out Harry's chosen house. "SLYTHERIN." And Draco felt his jaw almost drop to the floor as Harry bounded over to sit next to him.

Only years of training in the Malfoy household kept him from doing just that, but as Harry sat down next to him, he found that he couldn't entirely hide his shock as one question poured out after another. "How? Why? When and WHAT?!" Harry just smirked and leaned over to whisper into Draco's ear. "The hat first considered me for Slytherin in our first year, but after your behavior and Ron's warning, I asked the hat to put me anywhere but in Slytherin. So it placed me in Gryffindor." Draco closed his eyes for a minute in order to realign his thoughts. "So if I hadn't been a snobbish idiot at that time, you would have been in Slytherin and we would actually have been friends?" Harry grinned and nodded before adding, "I wouldn't have been one of your minions though." Draco laughed lightly before answering with a quick, "You wouldn't have been." before directing his attention towards Headmistress McGonagall who was now making the usual announcements. "The Forbidden Forest is restricted and no student may enter it no matter what year you are in. Now let us feast, tomorrow the first day of school begins."

 _ **Thank you for all the reviews and thank you to those who have decided to follow this fanfic.**_


	7. Chapter 7 Settling in

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

 **Chapter 7: Settling in (Harry)**

Harry glanced around the Great Hall and his gaze landed on the Gryffindor table. Some of the students noticed him watching them and they glared at him before settling back to enjoy the feast. It felt strange to be on the receiving end of the venomous stares of the Gryffindor house and he realized that this must have been how the Slytherins always felt.

It plagued him to know that he had once been a part of the crowd who hated people just because they were sorted into the Slytherin house. Granted, everyone thought that the students in Slytherin would turn out evil even if they don't start out that way, but since he worked as an Auror for a while he found out that Slytherins may commit crimes in order to protect themselves when they get pushed too far, but it's the cockiness of the Gryffindors that lead them to believe that they are always right.

He returned his attention to his own house and noticed that their ties were stronger than that of any other house. A boy with brown hair called to him and he turned his attention to the seventh year. "Hey, Harold right?" Harry nodded. "I'm Jean Jacque. Don't mind them; they are always like that…" Another brown haired boy, whose name Harry vaguely remembered to be Theo Halt, nodded from his seat across from him then added, "Yeah they think being sorted into Slytherin automatically means that you are entitled to be evil." Snickers sounded up all around them and Harry could see that even Draco was laughing. It seemed to be a common joke in Slytherin and a part of Harry felt ashamed that he had actually believed it during his previous years at Hogwarts.

Yeah, he was the savior of the wizarding world and all (according to most people), but he was pretty sure that it was more because of luck than anything else. People thought he was fearless when in reality, he just wanted to stand up for what is right. In a dark corner of his mind he knew that killing another person or creature was wrong no matter what and yet, in essence, the wizarding world was actually praising him because did just that. He took a life to save the lives of other people and nobody considered that through all its fancy titles and names, it was still murder. Not that he'd had much choice in the matter. It had been kill or be killed and he'd realized then why the sorting had wanted to put him in Slytherin.

A nudge on his side pulled his attention back to the present and he saw that Draco was staring at him in worry. Harry gave him a small smile in order to reassure him and then started to dig into the feast. The house elves always outdid themselves at the start-of-the-year feast and it would be a crime to miss out on any of it.

Once the feast ended and everyone had eaten their fill, Headmistress McGonagall instructed the prefects to show the first years to their dormitories. Harry already knew where the Slytherin dormitories were located from when he and Ron had snuck into the common room in order to find out whether Draco had known anything about the chamber of secrets. Harry allowed himself to grin slyly at the thought but Draco immediately noticed, because he pulled Harry back so they were following the group at a slight distance. "Uhm Harry? Please don't tell me you're thinking of doing something to any of the Slytherins, they're not that bad I promise."

Harry grinned at Draco's worried face, but he shook his head. "Don't worry Draco, I was just thinking about the time Ron and I snuck into the Slytherin common room. Draco looked confused for a moment before he demanded the detail in a hushed voice. "Tell me about it or I will never ever forgive you." Harry snickered at the bossy tone in Draco's voice. "Well, Ron, Hermione and I made a Polyjuice potion to get into the Slytherin common room. We took Crabbe and Goyle's forms." Draco looked panicked for a moment. "W-when did you do that?"

Harry shrugged. "Remember that time you asked Goyle why he was wearing glasses?" Draco nodded then seemed to connect the link. "You mean to say that you were Goyle at that time?" Harry nodded then waited for Draco's anger that was sure to follow. But nothing happened. Instead, Draco simply threw his arm around Harry's shoulders and laughed. "I guess I can see why the hat wanted you to be in Slytherin. It takes cunning to wander into a den of snakes when you are an outsider, for the right reason anyway. Although I must admit that you suck in the self-preservation category." Harry grinned back at him. "So what happens when I'm an insider?"

Draco grinned back at him. "Well then you are part of the snake den and outsiders should remember that if they ever even think of touching you. Slytherins take care of each other."

Harry nodded as they walked through the maze in which the dungeons reside and Harry saw a lot more passageways than he could remember. He had to admit to himself that he and Ron had actually just been following Draco at that time and now the whole place suddenly seemed a lot bigger and even more confusing. "Draco, whose idea was it to make the dungeons a maze? I think if I took a single wrong turn in here then I will be lost for weeks."

Draco chuckled then pointed out a few symbols on the roof that seemed more like decorations than anything else. "It was Salazar Slytherin's idea. Those snake symbols show us the way from the Great Hall directly to the Slytherin common room. When you come to a crossroads in the halls, just look to where the snake symbol's tail is pointing and follow it."

Harry felt like he was more confused than ever. "Why not just follow the head of the snake? Won't that be easier to remember? I mean, if you follow the tail of the snake instead of the head, then it's like you are following an arrow that's pointing left and you turn right instead."

Draco nodded. "It's Slytherin logic. First years always look at the ceiling to find their way and so we need to make sure that no one can use the symbols to get to our common room. Think about it like this, the head of the snake is a lot more dangerous than the tail and so you would naturally want to follow the less dangerous route, wouldn't you? Besides if you follow the head of each snake then you will find yourself back at the Great Hall. That's why people don't search for our common room anymore; they always find themselves back where they started. Also, note that some snake symbols has a small 'x' underneath it, that means that you should ignore that symbol and repeat the move you made from the snake on the previous symbol."

Harry finally understood, but he didn't know why such an elaborate scheme was needed to hide the Slytherin common room unless it was to try and keep them safe from the rest of the school. "Well, I guess this is going to take some getting used to. Here I always believed you were the big bad Slytherins and now I find out that you are only trying to protect yourselves behind a scary reputation." Draco seemed like he was about to snap back with some witty comment but Harry held up his hand to quiet him.

"How about we show the rest of the school what Slytherins are really made of?" The idea had slowly taken a hold of him and now Harry itched to do something about it. Draco however, looked like he had just been asked to groom Buckbeak.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Harry. Things have been this way for years and changing it now could only bring trouble. Another problem is that we would stand out if we tried anything and then we will fail the mission." To Harry's disappointment, Draco was extremely reluctant to change things, but he wasn't going to give in. He hasn't been this excited in a long time and it was a very welcome change.

"Come on it won't place anyone in the spotlight and my plan will make it easier to gather information. All we would need to do is act like we are a pair of extremely hard-working students. We use our knowledge to do well in our classes and we meet up in the library whenever we can. We could then start helping other students with their work in return for any news about things happening in and around Hogwarts. Students from the other houses will then get to know the true Slytherins and we can tutor the Slytherins in defensive spells if they need it."

Draco shook his head in exasperation. "Harry, even if this little scheme of yours works, we are still technically only first years and it could easily tip off the culprits as to whom we are. No real first-year student in their right mind would attempt something like this."

Harry couldn't keep himself from smirking. "They would if it was a pair of students who had the urge to learn as much as they could for as fast as they could. Correct me if I'm wrong but many of the Slytherin students lost one or both parents when they were sent to Azkaban after I defeated Voldemort. We both know that this is because most of them were trying to protect their families and not because they actually believed that Voldemort was right. So we can use the excuse that we are trying to bring honor back to our families."

He heard Draco sigh, but he relented with a nod. "Fine, Harry. It's not like we have anything to go on at the moment anyway. We just need to make sure that we don't draw too much attention to ourselves. It has to be a slow building thing and we first need to act as if were reluctant to help at first."

Harry was glad that Draco had at least given some thought to his idea. So he would take what he could get. Harry glanced up as they neared a giant basilisk statue and the prefect spoke the password 'venomous serpents'. The door slid open and he glanced at Draco in confusion.

"No Harry, you didn't remember the entrance wrong, Severus just changes the guardian of the Slytherin house each year in order to further confuse any outsiders that might make it this far. The wards also refuse to admit students who do not carry the Slytherin emblem on their robes."

Harry looked around as they entered the common room and he had to stop himself from letting out a shocked gasp. Even the common room was different to what he remembered.

The prefect spoke about the rules of the house and explained to the numerous worried first years about how the symbol system works. Snape then gave his own speech about how no snake should leave the den without friends or upper year students to walk with them before allowing the students to go pack out their stuff and settle in. It was a shock to see that Severus Snape was still teaching at Hogwarts, but Harry felt a sense of nostalgia overwhelm him as the head of house turned with his signature move, making his robes billowing out behind him. He was also pleasantly surprised when he found out that they were placed around in groups of two and he was happy that he was going to share a room with Draco.

"So Harry, how do you like Slytherin so far?" It took a moment to realize that Draco was looking at him expectantly. "Well, the people are nice. _'Or at least the few I met so far were.'_ I just don't want to make a quick judge of character." Draco nodded then relented. "That makes sense. But I urge you to please keep an open mind. Things don't work the same down here as it does in Gryffindor." Harry nodded then opened his trunk to pack out his things. The sight of the neatly aligned bottles on the side of the trunk made him grin. Now was probably the best time to let Draco in on his other plan.

"Hey Draco, you wouldn't be opposed to the idea of someone inside the school helping us would you?" Harry saw the confused look on his face and waited until Draco could answer him.

"I wouldn't mind the help, but it would have to be someone we trust and we have to be absolutely sure that the person isn't under the influence of the imperious curse. We also have to check that it isn't one of the culprits with a polyjuice potion before we reveal anything." Harry nodded then thought for a moment.

"Well tomorrow night is a full moon so we can use that to ensure that the person I'm thinking of isn't under the polyjuice potion and he would understand if I asked whether I could check whether he is under the imperious curse before we tell him anything." Draco seemed to immediately realize who Harry was hinting at.

"You want to go talk to Professor Lupin? Well, I guess that would help up a lot because we would have a teacher on our side, but I didn't see him in the Great Hall. The DADA seat was empty."

Harry nodded then looked at the picture of a full moon that was charmed onto the 'window' in their room. "Yes well it is near a full moon so he wouldn't trust himself near people at the moment. That's why there will be no DADA classes this week. Tomorrow night we will sneak out to where he usually had the change. I usually heal him after the change so he will know it's me. We can then check for the imperious curse and explain things to him. If he doesn't change tomorrow night then we know it's an imposter."

Draco nodded and as Harry closed his trunk he knew that he was probably wondering why Harry hadn't packed out anything other than his clothes. A silent parseltongue command made the trunk lock itself securely as two snakes wound around the lock. It had been interesting to discover that parseltongue not only worked on snakes but also their inanimate brothers as well. "Come on lets sleep for now. We can't do anything at the moment anyway."

Draco nodded and they both climbed into their beds. It took Harry a long time to fall asleep though. His mind raced around the fact that he had almost been bored out of his skull a week ago and now he was on a mission with Draco and they were both back at Hogwarts to be able to complete it. It felt good to know that he didn't have to dread the thought of going back to his horrid family every summer, but he had to remind himself that this was only a temporary reprieve. After the mission he would probably find himself back at his cottage in the woods and the silence and tranquility he usually found in the place would turn into an obvious reminder that he was alone.

Maybe he would travel around a bit he decided. There were a lot of places he had never seen because he had simply just been too caught up in his isolation that he forgot that the world was so much bigger. An idea niggled at the back of his mind and he smiled. Hopefully, Draco would want to join him in his travels. He knew that he would never pass up the chance to be able to examine new and exotic ingredients for Potion making. The thoughts swirled around in Harry's head until he finally fell off into a deep sleep.

 _ **Thank you for those who are following the story. If there is anything that doesn't make sense in the story, please let me know.**_


	8. Chapter 8 First Day

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

 **Chapter 8: First day (Draco)**

Draco groaned as he woke and it took a few seconds for him to realize where he was. He glanced to the side of the room and saw that Harry was still fast asleep. He stood up and softly walked towards the chest that he suspected held the book with the ancient rituals inside. He sighed when he found it locked and he knew that Harry had been speaking parseltongue when he closed it. This meant that he had no way of opening it to take a look at the book.

He didn't want to ask Harry about it since he would probably refuse to show the rest of the book to him and so the only way to read it would be to borrow it for a while and then put it back before Harry realized it was gone. All he had to do was wait, but he was so excited at the prospect of gaining new potion recipes that he knew it would be hard.

He decided to write a note containing the details of their plan to his godfather and it wasn't long until he received his reply. Severus will follow his instructions during the potions classes and this would make it easier for students to come to them when they saw how smart they were. He was glad that he tested his godfather for influences when he'd taken the time to visit him. Severus had clearly been shocked when he'd asked him for his help.

A soft moan sounded out in the room and Draco glanced at Harry who seemed to be having a nightmare. He set all thoughts aside and moved closer to Harry's bed.

He knew he would probably be sucked into Harry's consciousness again, but he didn't mind. The strange feeling was worth it because he learned a bit more about Harry every time. He also knew that most, if not all the things he saw, contained memories and thoughts that Harry would never reveal to anyone if he had a choice. So Draco didn't intend to give him any choice in the matter. It wasn't good for Harry to bury everything in such a way.

Draco leaned over to touch Harry's arm and the moment they touched, the world became black in front of his eyes and a second later he found himself in a graveyard. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he heard a shout and came upon a scene that would certainly give even him nightmares. He saw Cedric Diggory fall as the death curse hit him and he turned to see Harry being held by a statue. He tried to run over to him, but something snagged at his feet and he fell. He looked up as Harry's screams rent the air and he paled as he saw that a vaguely familiar Death Eater was cutting a deep gash into Harry's arm.

He didn't think twice as he stood back up and morphed into his animagus form. His chosen form was a snowcapped Felidrake, which was a crossbreed between a snowscape panther and an ice elemental dragon. Basically, he had the body of a snow white panther that was half a size bigger than an average panther and he had the legs, claws, wings, and horns of a dragon. He bumped the man away from Harry who seemed to be in shock as he noticed him for the first time. "Draco, tell me that you're in your animagus form before I freak out." He gave Harry a stern look that said ' _who else would I_ be' before Draco wordlessly healed his arm and broke the part of the statue that was holding him.

He dragged Harry onto his back then took off into the sky. Below him, he could see death eaters panic as they tried to make sense of what just happened and the scene made him smirk even in his animagus form. "Uhm Draco? You weren't kidding when you said that you managed to merge your two animagus forms." Draco snorted at the obvious statement and flew even higher. He then looked at Harry with a question in his eyes. How were they going to get out of there?

Harry seemed to pick up on his thoughts because he pointed to the Triwizard cup that had been knocked to the ground. Harry immediately tightened his hold on him and Draco grinned. Trust a seeker to know that he was about to descend in a very fast dive.

Draco curled his wings in then dived. The rush of falling was so exhilarating and the way the death eaters scurried around to get out of their way before wildly throwing hexes at them, had him mentally snickering even as he heard Harry's exclamation of shock. That is until he realized why Harry sounded so panicked. Voldemort had risen from the mixture in the cauldron and he immediately fixed his eyes on them.

Draco pulled up sharply and narrowly escaped the killing curse as Harry bent down to snatch the trophy. The world around them glowed as soon as Harry had the trophy in his possession and Draco found himself back at their room in Hogwarts with Harry opening his own eyes a second later. Silence descended in their room until Draco couldn't take it anymore.

"What the bloody hell Harry?! You actually saw Voldemort at the Triwizard Cup tournament?" Draco felt shocked and unnerved as the scene played out before him again. He'd thought that Harry had somehow made the situation sound worse than it had actually been at that time, but instead, he realized now that Harry had been downplaying the entire thing. Even when Draco's father had explained the entire scene, it had only been briefly since no one had been allowed to know that Voldemort had let Harry slip through his fingers again. The sight of Voldemort rising from the cauldron and then setting his sights on them had been etched into Draco's mind forever, even if it had just been a dream this time around.

"I more than just saw him; unfortunately he'd used my blood at that time to return." Draco remembered the cut on Harry's arm. "So they used blood magic to bring him back?" Harry just nodded silently while clutching his healed arm to his side. Draco wanted to comfort him, but there was nothing he could say so he lightly squeezed Harry's shoulder before pulling on his school clothes. He glanced up to see that Harry was doing the same, but it wasn't long before Harry asked him another question.

"Draco… how were you able to merge your animagus forms?" Draco smirked. He had actually been expecting the question much earlier. He turned to Harry and made a face as if he was wondering whether he should tell him or not, but Harry started looking irritated so Draco quickly answered him. It's not like he really wanted to keep it a secret from him anyway.

"The trick is to first complete the form in your mind. But each time you form the image it must have the exact same details. Once you can form the mental image without changing the details, then you can mentally merge your two chosen forms into the single form that you created." Draco looked at Harry to ensure that he understood and received a nod.

"Uhm Draco? What would happen if you tried to merge four different animagus forms? Do you think it would be possible?" The question was unexpected and it took Draco a few moments to think things over before he could formulate a clear answer.

"Well it could be possible, but no one has ever managed to gain four complete animagus forms before. Animagus forms portray the personality of the person that utilizes them and I have found that you can only merge them when the different forms have something in common. In my case, both my forms were predators and they both command the ice element. One was formed by my ability to adapt to any situation and the other was formed by my cunning."

He thought for a moment before attempting to explain even further. "If you had four animagus forms then that would mean that you have what could almost be described as four different and completely opposite personality traits that can only be found in four different creature forms. But that's impossible because it would be a constant struggle for dominance as each trait battles against their counterpart. This can lead to episodes of explosive anger, sadness or recklessness and the inability to feel fear for the sake of one's own survival."

Draco looked at Harry with a worried expression and he wondered why he would even ask such a thing. Harry was by no means unstable so Draco was pretty sure that he wasn't asking this because he actually had four different animagus forms. _"Maybe he's just curious? It is an interesting subject after all since no one else had ever thought to try it."_

His mind wandered and he wanted to ask Harry about the dreams, but they would be late for breakfast if they stayed any longer, so he would have to wait. Harry, however, didn't look like he was ready to go down to the Great Hall yet. "Come on Harry we need to get to breakfast. Unless you have a food delivering house elf stashed somewhere."

Harry finally grinned then shook his head. "I'd rather not call Kreacher here and get into trouble on my first day. You know we are not allowed to request the services of our own elves at Hogwarts."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Exactly my point, now get up and follow me. We have potions class with the Gryffindors right after breakfast and I'd rather not want to find myself sitting next to one because we couldn't find seats fast enough." This prompted Harry to move and they were soon heading down to the Great Hall.

Draco allowed Harry to lead the way down to breakfast. He wanted to make sure that Harry understood the symbols well enough to not get lost in the dungeons. It surprised him when Harry led them directly to the Great Hall without making a wrong turn. "Well, I must say it's good to know that you will be able to find your way to here at least. When we make our way back I'm going to ask you to lead us back to the dungeons as well.

Harry simply grinned and said, "You're on" before heading directly towards the Slytherin table. Draco had to admit that he was surprised at how easily Harry had been able to accept the Slytherin house. He sank into his seat next to Harry and saw that he was already talking to Jean and Theo. He almost felt out a little but Harry turned towards him and dragged him into a conversation about the teachers before he even realized it.

After breakfast, Draco found that he had a lot to think about as they walked to the potions classroom. The conversation around the Slytherin table had clued him in on some people that he and Harry might have to look into as soon as possible. The old caretaker Mr. Filch seemed to be skulking about more than usual and the students have pointed out that they've seen him entering the Forbidden Forest before the start of the summer vacation, even when he usually would have avoided the forest like the plague due to being a squib. Most of the students thought it was the fact that his companion, Mrs. Norris had died, and they concluded that this might have finally sent him over the edge.

The students also recalled that both Hagrid and Professor Trelawney had been acting out of character, but Draco decided to watch them before he made any assumptions. For one thing, he had learned from Harry that Hagrid seemed to be overly fond of dangerous creatures and this meant that if Hagrid had some poor 'defenseless' meat-eating creature stashed away somewhere in his cottage or in the Forbidden Forest, then he was pretty much being himself.

The fact that Professor Trelawney was spreading a lot less doom and gloom than usual was a little troubling, but it made Draco wonder whether or not she had just finally realized that her predictions didn't come true as much as she would have liked them to. A lot of students would be happy if that was the case and Draco himself would be ecstatic if he didn't have to sit through another lecture about how he should tell her if he found any negative energy lingering around him.

Draco was dragged from his thoughts as they reached the potions classroom. They were the first to arrive and they immediately took the desk as far away from the rest of the class as possible. Harry seemed to wonder why the table had been so strategically placed as he stared at the rest of the class and Draco let out a mental groan. _"Why does he always pay attention to the things I don't want him to notice? Now I'm going to have to tell him about Severus."_

"Draco, why are we sitting so far away from the rest of the group?" With a sigh, Draco turned towards Harry. He had hoped that Harry would stay oblivious to Severus until Draco had a chance to explain things to him by showing him that his godfather had changed, but of course, Harry always had to do the unexpected and foil his plans.

"Well, you chose to ask Professor Lupin for help so I decided to ask my godfather. After he gave his permission, I had him tested for the polyjuice potion and the imperious curse and both showed negative. I then came up with a sign that he would make every time he enters the class just to let me know that he is still himself." Harry looked like he was about to make a loud protest, but Draco silenced him. "Put your prejudice away and just monitor him, would you? You will see that he has changed a lot since you saved his life."

Draco knew that Harry would be reluctant, but he pushed the issue anyway. They had a mission to finish and he wasn't about to allow petty feuds to get in the way of accomplishing their mission. Harry nodded and faced the door, waiting for the students to file in before the potions master made his entrance.

Severus looked directly at Draco before turning to face the class while tapping his right hand's forefinger to his side three times and then making his hand into a fist. Draco nodded in acknowledgment and took out his books before placing his quill down with the end pointing straight towards Severus. He saw Severus acknowledge his signal before the potions master headed towards the board to write down his name.

During class, Severus made full use of Draco's plan as he explained what the potions module would entail. He would ask questions and when none of the other students could answer, he picked either Draco or Harry to answer the question for them. Some Gryffindors mumbled something about an unfair advantage, but Severus set them straight by saying that some students actually read their books before they came to class.

The rest of the day's classes were spent answering question after question and Draco concluded that Severus must have mentioned to the other teachers about the two first-year 'geniuses' that he had the pleasure of having in his class. Everyone knew that Snape praised no one and so they all wanted to see for themselves if this was true.

Draco felt tired by the time lunch arrived and due to the fact that DADA had been postponed, they at least had the rest of the day off. After eating, he followed Harry to their room where they decided to talk about how they were going to approach Professor Lupin.

Harry was sure that the werewolf would help them and Draco kind of had to agree since he had been the one to tell Draco where he could find Harry. The man always tried to stand by and help Harry and for that Draco was grateful. He had been appalled when he heard about how Harry had been treated and Draco was intent on making up for his behavior since it had been his attitude that had made sure that things went wrong between them in the first place.

Draco realized that Harry had started talking and he turned his attention towards him. "The Wolfsbane potion helps him, but he has to suffer through the change once in a while or the potion would lose its effect. Unfortunately for us, that happens tonight so we will have to wait until early morning to go see him."

Draco sighed. "You know what will happen if we get caught sneaking around the school right?" He didn't know why Harry was acting as if it was easy to sneak around the castle. It might have been easy to sneak out from wherever Gryffindor was located and the teachers might have even turned a blind eye as the students snuck out, but sneaking out from the dungeons was very hard, even more so for two students.

Harry grinned at him and Draco wondered what he had up his sleeve. "I will show you how we will get out of the castle Draco, but first we need to rest. We can't wander around the castle and stay alert when we are too tired to even think." Draco nodded and decided that it made sense. He really wanted to know how Harry had managed to sneak around undetected all those years ago, but for now, it could wait.

They each changed into a pair of comfortable clothing before getting into their beds. Draco didn't think that he would actually be able to sleep but after a few minutes of listening to Harry's breathing as it evened out in sleep, Draco also found himself drifting off.

 _ **Thank you for reading this fanfic and thank you to those who are following this story…**_


	9. Chapter 9 Night of the Full Moon

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

 **Chapter 9: Night of the full moon (Harry)**

Harry woke with the sound of a storm echoing through the corridors. You would think that being in a dungeon would lessen the sound, but instead, the thunder echoed through the empty hallways of the castle. He fumbled to retrieve his wand from beneath his pillow and a quick lumos spell lit up the room. It felt strange to hear the thunder when no lightning could be seen. He glanced towards Draco and saw that he was still sleeping.

A wave of excitement flowed over him as he opened his chest and extracted his invisibility cloak and the marauder's map. Draco will be both surprised and happy when he found out that they could utilize both to catch the culprits. Harry placed the cloak and the map on his bed and then returned to his chest to gaze at its inventory once again. He was sure he wouldn't even need half the chest's contents, but he wanted to bring enough so he could surprise Draco.

He had been hunting and helping all kinds of creatures in the forest in the time that he had stayed in his cottage and this allowed him to gain numerous rare ingredients that were barely found anymore. He knew he could make money off the ingredients, but he felt that it was better to give the ingredients to the people he trusted. People who wouldn't use the ingredients to perform dark magic that would harm people he cared about. Well, he was still figuring out whether he could trust Severus or not, but since Draco said he'd changed, Harry had no idea what to expect from the man.

True he wasn't picking on Harry anymore and he even helped them with their plans, but Harry wanted to make sure that Snape had really changed before he gave him anything. Well, Voldemort wasn't around anymore and Harry had saved his life, but that doesn't give enough reason for a person to change. Harry saw his memories and his feelings, but sometimes when a person acts in a certain way for too long then they forget that the personality they made was only a cover.

Harry shook the thoughts from his head before grabbing a Wolfsbane potion and sliding it into his pocket just for in case. He left the map and his cloak on the bed before heading over to wake up Draco. It was surprisingly easy to wake him up, but that didn't mean that he appreciated it. Well not until he remembered their plans that is. "Come on Draco we need to get over to the Whomping Willow."

Draco froze for a second. "Are you mental? That thing will take our heads off as soon as we go near it!" He definitely didn't look happy at all. In fact, Harry knew that everyone kept away from the Whomping Willow for a reason, but that's only because very few people knew its secrets.

"Don't worry so much Draco. There is a trick to get past the Whomping Willow so just relax. Right now we have to focus on getting out of the dungeons and then out of the castle. Snape would probably help us but his hands would be tied if there are other students or teachers nearby." Harry saw Draco nod before he got out of bed. They got dressed and Harry allowed himself to smirk slightly at the bewildered look on Draco's face as he held out the cloak and the parchment. The expression on Draco's face was hilarious and Harry really wanted to kiss him for it. But he reigned himself in and demonstrated how the map and cloak worked instead.

"How the hell did you find these Harry? Invisible cloaks are extremely rare and I've never heard of a map that portrayed all of Hogwarts' secrets, along with who is in it." If they weren't on their way to what might potentially be a dangerous werewolf, then Harry would have been glad to tell him the entire story rather than just relaying the most important facts, but as it was, they really had to get a move on if they wanted to get Professor Lupin on their side before he went into his recovery room.

"No more time for questions Draco. The map says that Professor Lupin is in the Shrieking Shack and there are no dangers nearby so let's just go." He dragged Malfoy down along with him until they reached the common room. Everything was quiet as they snuck out until Harry sensed that they were being followed. He opened his map and surely enough, Jean and Theo were obviously trying to hide behind a pillar.

"We know you are there you two, so just come out." Harry tried to keep the stress out of his voice. He knew the two seventh years, but he didn't know them well enough, so he was unsure whether they were trying to oust them or whether they were just trying to get in on the action.

Both Jean and Theo stepped out with guilty looks on their faces. "Sorry, Harold we weren't trying to spy on you. We just heard someone moving about and we thought we'd have a bit of fun with them so we hid behind the pillar. Luckily we saw that it was the two of you before we cast the spell, otherwise, you'd have grown tails by now." Jean explained quickly and Theo nodded as if he wanted to emphasize each point.

Harry stared at them for a moment until he realized that they were really telling the truth. They were pranksters by nature and this made even the simplest situation irresistible to them. So Harry decided to take a chance. "You know… we're playing a game with a few 'friends' of ours and they gave us two months to find them. It's kind of like playing the muggle game of hide and seek, except this time it's with wizards. Would you like to help us? You might have some fun along the way since you would be free to prank them in any way you like."

The two teens eagerly nodded and they were smiling excitedly as Draco dragged Harry in close to him. "What the hell are you thinking Harry? You just allowed civilians in on the case! A case that might get them killed, if I may add."

Harry indicated to Draco that he would explain later before he turned back to the two eager teens. "The thing is, we are not allowed to ask for help because they kind of bullied us into it and if we can't find them by the end of two months' time, then some people we know might get hurt. So this means that if they find out that you are helping us, we might get into a lot of trouble."

Harry looked at them to gauge their reactions, but it seemed like they were becoming even more interested if that was even possible. "Would you still be willing to help? As far as we know, any of the teachers, with the exception of Professor Snape, of course, could be in on it as well. But I'm not asking you to put yourselves in danger. If you find that any of the staff or students isn't acting like themselves, please let us know. If you find that someone suspects that you are involved with us then make sure you lay low."

Theo looked thoughtful as he spoke up. "It won't be a problem for us, Harold. We are planning to become Aurors after we graduate. We thought about opening a joke shop at first but the Weasley twins already have that covered. Solving cases would be the next best thing. I heard that Harry Potter doesn't take cases anymore though, which is a shame since we wanted to see him again, but the Prince of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy still works there. He might not really remember us though since we were only fourth years when he graduated."

Jean grinned and nodded before he spoke. "It seems that we have a rare chance to find out how a real mission would feel. This is going to be great! But don't worry; we'll work behind the scenes. No one will know that we're helping you. We won't be Auror material if we couldn't even achieve that now would we?"

Jean and Theo said their goodbyes and walked back to their rooms. Harry mentally grinned as he watched them go. _"They probably can't wait to get started. Won't they be in shock when we finally reveal ourselves."_ Harry decided that he would personally recommend them at the Ministry's Auror division if they proved that they could help with the mission. " _Now I have to deal with Draco. I don't usually pull people into a case but we'd be fooling ourselves if we thought we could do this alone without anyone to help us."_

Draco waited until the duo was out of earshot before he cornered Harry again. "What do you think you are doing Harry? We can't afford to trust anyone here and now you practically spilled the entire mission to them. Why didn't you just tell them who we really were while you were at it?" Harry could almost see steam coming out of Draco's ears in his anger, so he decided the best way to silence the fuming boy, would be to do something he'd wanted to do for a very long time.

Draco was so busy concentrating on his rant that he didn't see that Harry was moving closer to him until the last second, but by then it was too late. Harry quickly turned Draco's head towards him before he pressed his lips firmly against Draco's mouth.

Draco gasped in shock and Harry took advantage of this by running his tongue along his lips before exploring Draco's mouth. Draco relaxed into him and Harry felt his arms pull him closer. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist to keep him still, but Draco apparently had other ideas.

Draco stopped the kiss and dragged Harry into a hidden alcove behind a painting. Harry felt the glamor of the spell lift slightly as Draco concentrated on his real form and soon enough he could also see Draco's original form. The blonde pulled Harry back into an embrace and Harry had to angle his head slightly since Draco was a bit taller than him.

Something in Harry's mind told him that it was important to remember that both their transformations worked according to the thoughts between them but the new-found knowledge sank to the back of his mind as Draco's lips found his again.

Suddenly Harry found that Draco had taken control and he was the one being kissed senseless. The kiss lasted a while before they both stepped back and Harry could hear that Draco's breathing was just as ragged as his own. His plan had been to silence Draco with a kiss before explaining why he'd done what he did, but what would happen from here on out? He didn't want Draco to be angry at him.

Draco seemed to be thinking along the same lines because he also stood frozen for several minutes. But he recovered quickly and Harry felt him grab his hand in order to lead him out of the common room while simultaneously pulling the spell back around them. "I'm not going to ask what that was just now since I have a feeling I already know because I feel the same. But we will talk about this after the mission. Now is not the time to get distracted."

Harry could only nod as he followed Draco out of the common room. It felt strange to hold Draco's hand while they regressed back into their childlike bodies. He couldn't believe that Draco actually felt the same about him… well, he hoped he felt the same and wasn't just talking about something different. He realized that Draco didn't let go of his hand until they reached the point where they had to put on the invisibility cloak and even then Harry could feel Draco's hand wrapping around his as they made their way out of the castle.

He knew that Draco probably felt as shocked as he was, but he understood Draco's decision. The one reason for it was probably the fact that they didn't have their original bodies at the moment. It took a lot of concentration to see past the spell so they were still basically 11-years old. The other reason was definitely the fact that the entire situation was unexpected.

Harry tried to shake his head free of the thoughts as they neared Hagrid's hut. Strange noises could be heard coming from within and Harry felt dread pool in his stomach. He'd told Draco of Hagrid's obsession with strange and dangerous animals, but he knew that Draco didn't completely understand the weight of the statement.

They snuck in close to the windows and at first, Harry could see nothing, but when the fog of smoke lifted, Harry felt his stomach hit rock-bottom as he recognized the miniature version of a Hydra. Oh, it was cute and cuddly and all that, but Harry had read about the destruction a single grown-up Hydra could do and it was far from pretty. Already his mind was racing about the penalty that the ministry would bestow on Hagrid for just handling the creature. Actually having the creature in his home could get him locked up. He didn't want to let Hagrid down so he would have to warn him somehow without revealing his current self.

Harry conjured a paper before grabbing a pen out of his pocket. His handwriting would be enough to convince Hagrid and he quickly wrote down his message. It warned Hagrid that he had to be careful and that the only way he would be able to take care of the Hydra would be to give it to someone who knew about them. Hagrid might not be happy about it, but even Harry wouldn't be able to help him if the Ministry found out about the Hydra. Potentially endangering numerous students and teachers was not a good way to get back into the ministry's good graces. It would help even less since Hagrid's wand had already been taken once due to his obsession with dangerous creatures.

"I guess this means that he's busy being his old self… doesn't it?" Harry could only nod in at Draco's statement as he pushed his letter under the door. "You know, even if you warn him, we'll still have to report him if he doesn't listen." Again Harry could only nod, but he closed his eyes in a sigh afterward. Hagrid had to learn that dangerous animals and creatures were dangerous for a reason. If he didn't heed his warning, then Hagrid might find himself back in Azkaban. Harry didn't want to ever see him there, but he didn't have a choice. He didn't want anyone to get hurt when he could prevent it from happening.

He told Draco about his plans for Jean and Theo as they walked up the hill. "I don't intend on placing them in any danger. We can't solve this alone so we need someone to monitor the situation in places that we can't." It took some convincing but Draco finally agreed to his plans.

Harry led Draco to a safe spot just beyond the reach of the Whomping Willow and then indicated that Draco should stay still before he whispered… "I'm going to jump in and press the knot, once the knot has been pressed, the tree will be subdued and we can make our way to the Shrieking Shack.

Draco nodded and Harry turned to run towards the stem of the Whomping Willow at the opportune moment. Once there, he pressed the knot and the Whomping Willow went silent, which allowed Draco to catch up with Harry.

A lonely howl could be heard coming from the inside and Harry hugged Draco close before pushing him behind him as he stepped towards the sound. They descended a few stairs and by the time they reached the door to the Shrieking Shack, Harry could hear that there was a very irritated werewolf inside. It bothered him that it sounded even worse than the previous times and he realized that Moony might have delayed the transformation for too long in the last few months.

Harry didn't want Draco to get hurt so he walked up to the door of the Shrieking Shack first while indicating to Draco that he had to stay back. Harry fully intended to close the door firmly behind him while he fought Moony off. He knew that Draco could take care of himself, but he didn't want him to get hurt in any way. He could transform into his animagus form first, but that would leave Draco to open the door and Harry knew that the werewolf would immediately attack him then. He opened the door and ran in, but a massive paw sideswiped him as tried to close the door.

Pain radiated throughout his 11-year old body as his back connected with a wall. He'd forgotten to take into account that even though his magic was strong, his strength in his current form was weak and he had to blink his eyes a few times to see through the haze of pain before he was able to force his body to stand up.

An angry roar drew his attention and he glanced up to see Draco's merged animagus form forcing the werewolf into a corner. The anger in his eyes was clear and Harry mentally winced. Oh, he was so in for it now. Draco, of course, had every right to be mad. Harry could admit his mistake, but he knew it wouldn't end there.

He'd been so focused on keeping Draco safe that he forgot to take numerous obvious circumstances into account. Their current form status and the fact that a werewolf bite could turn you would be at the top of that list.

The growling from Moony ceased and Harry saw that Draco had cast a sleeping spell. Since it was nearly dawn, it worked on the werewolf immediately. He shivered as Draco ran towards him. He could feel his consciousness slipping away as he tried to register what Draco was saying, but his entire body was burning. He looked down at where the burning feeling had started and saw four long gashes across his chest where Moony's nails had raked across his body. His last thought before he completely lost consciousness was: _"I hope this doesn't make me Moony the second."_

 _ **Thank you to those who are following this fanfic…**_

 _ **Sorry, this update took so long, my grandfather passed away two days ago.**_


	10. Chapter 10 Surprise, surprise

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

 **Chapter 10: Surprise, surprise (Draco)**

Draco tried to keep his edginess at bay as Harry approached the door to the Shrieking Shack. He could hear the terribly pained howls coming from the inside of the cabin, but he decided that Harry probably knew well enough about how to care for Professor Lupin when he was in this state.

It was only a second later when Harry opened the door that Draco realized that they had forgotten about their current bodies. An eleven-year-old child would never be able to stop an adult werewolf and Draco felt himself instinctively call up his merged animagus form as the werewolf swiped Harry to the side as if he was a stuffed animal. Draco could almost feel the rage swallowing him as his body reacted on instinct before he jumped forward and cornered the werewolf. His entire body screamed that he should go look if Harry was alright but he knew he couldn't do that until the threat was neutralized.

Draco cast a quick silent sleeping spell and only waited long enough to see that Professor Lupin had fallen asleep before he rushed to Harry's side while returning to his human form. He immediately saw the four deep bleeding gashes on Harry's abdomen and he felt dread fill his entire body. He knew that Harry's uncle couldn't help it but they should have known better than to barge in on a changed werewolf.

He bandaged Harry's cuts and cast a diagnostics spell. He could see that the werewolf venom was trying to take over Harry's body, but something was stopping it. The readings didn't allow him to get a clear view of what it was but the werewolf venom was soon overcome.

He should have been happy that Harry wasn't going to turn into a werewolf, but there were only a few poisons strong enough to counteract werewolf venom, and none of them were good. Unfortunately, only two types of those poisons didn't show up on diagnostic checks at all and those were basilisk venom and dragon's blood.

Draco remembered the one time Harry had to fight a dragon in the Triwizard tournament, and he also remembered reading somewhere that Harry and his friends had broken into Gringotts and escaped on a dragon, but he didn't know whether he had either ingested or touched dragon's blood at that time.

Basilisk poison was a different story, however. He was pretty sure that Harry had never even seen a living basilisk before, not to mention the one-in-a-million chance that he got poisoned by one. Basilisk venom kills almost instantly and that is if the victim isn't petrified first, which is what usually happens when someone accidentally finds themselves in the presence of a full-grown basilisk.

But basilisks never reach full-grown status because it can only be controlled by a parselmouth and no one would ever trust such a beast in the hands of someone they believe are evil. Another reason basilisks never reach adulthood is because their bodies make up numerous ingredients that are crucial in rare potions that could sell for a lot of money.

This left Draco with the only available answer that Harry might have ingested dragon's blood during one of his escapades. Yet the dragon incidents happened years ago so Draco found himself thoroughly confused. He made himself relax before dissecting the problem. Things always seem worse when you look at the big picture instead of analyzing it bit-by-bit, right?

The most important thing to remember is that the werewolf venom had been stopped. This meant that Harry wouldn't be turning furry anytime soon. Harry's vitals showed that he was healthy, despite the werewolf attack a few minutes ago and the gashes have already healed. What was he worried about again? Oh yes! The fact that Harry was healthy even though he had some unknown poison strong enough to beat werewolf venom running through him, and said poison could outright kill any other wizard!

Draco sat back as he watched Harry's relaxed breathing. Didn't he get sick and tired of being The One Who Lived? Draco knew that Harry had lived through numerous occasions where he actually should have died and he would try to distance himself from Harry more and more after each incident. He didn't want to admit it to himself at that time but every time Harry returned to school, Draco knew that something could happen that might end up killing him.

A groan sounded out through the dark cabin and Draco's attention snapped to Harry's face. He felt a rush of relief as he saw Harry slowly open his eyes. He had to stop himself from pushing him back down and telling him to rest though. Harry was still lying on the dusty floor and Draco quickly got up to transfigure a mattress out of a broken chair before levitating Harry onto it. Not all of this was done silently though because Harry immediately thrashed around and insisted that he didn't have to lie down.

Draco simply snorted. "If you don't relax right now I'm going to either tie you to the mattress or cast immobulus on you." Harry seemed to seriously consider his threat because he immediately stopped moving. It didn't stop him from demanding answers though.

"What did you do to Remus? I thought my chest was slashed open. Darn it I'm probably going to turn into a werewolf from now on…" Harry's rant was cut short when Draco lifted his wand in warning. He knew Harry wanted answers and Draco would answer them, but his questions were more important.

"First of all, I put Professor Lupin to sleep; secondly you're not going to turn into a werewolf and lastly you simply healed yourself, which is unusual since nobody is supposed to be able to heal that fast. Now you will answer my questions understood?" Draco winced at the sound of frustration in his voice. Harry must have interpreted it as anger because he looked really confused at the moment.

"You seem to have something inside you that counteracted the werewolf venom. Now usually I would be very happy about this, since becoming a werewolf would basically mean that people would stop treating you like a wizard if they knew, but it can only be counteracted by certain poisons. I did a diagnostics check on your body but found nothing and since there are only two poisons out of the bunch that would react like that, it narrows the list down quite a bit. Unfortunately being exposed to any one of the two would basically mean an almost instant death, so I don't know why you are still alive." Draco looked at Harry uncertainly, but the one-time brunette only looked back at him with interest.

Draco sighed before continuing since Harry didn't seem like he was about to volunteer any information. "Harry did you by any chance ingest dragon's blood or a fully grown basilisk's venom at some point? I know it's stupid to ask about the basilisk but…"

Harry shook his head and Draco fell silent. "To answer your question Draco, I didn't ingest any dragon's blood as far as I know, but a fully grown basilisk's fang did break off in my arm when I fought it. I did almost die but the headmaster's phoenix, Fawkes, healed me with her tears. Apparently, it didn't counteract the venom though so maybe it just enabled my body to function with the venom."

Draco gaped at Harry as he nonchalantly described the encounter with the basilisk in their second year at Hogwarts. If it was anyone else telling the story, he would probably be laughing in their faces, but Harry was a danger magnet and Draco couldn't do anything but believe him. "How big was this basilisk?"

Harry shrugged. "Well I know it was big, but I was twelve at that time so I might have just imagined it. I do have a slight scar where the fang was; maybe you would be able to judge its size from its fang?" Draco couldn't hide his enthusiasm as he nodded, but a part of him reminded him that Harry was probably just being modest. He knew that Harry was going to have to concentrate to revert back to his original form and luckily Professor Lupin was still under the sleeping spell so he won't see anything.

Harry sat up and shook off his shirt and concentrated on revealing his original form. Soon enough Draco could immediately see the circular scar on Harry's arm and it shocked him into silence. The largest basilisk fang ever recorded was only about half the size of the scar on Harry's arm. Draco wasn't sure since he would have to see the basilisk itself before he made any comparisons.

A moment later his eyes drew to another scar and this made him realize that Harry's body was riddled with all kinds of scars. Draco unconsciously walked around Harry's pillow to look at his back and he drew in a sharp breath at what seemed to be whip marks that covered Harry's body. Harry cleared his throat in embarrassment before he pulled his shirt back on again after muttering a spell to repair the torn fabric. "You know I could probably take you down to the chamber of secrets and show it to you. As far as I know, I am currently the only parselmouth in school so nobody else can get in to remove the body of the basilisk."

Draco nearly drooled as he imagined the potion ingredients the snake possibly still held. He knew Harry was trying to take his attention off of his scars and for now, it was working, but Draco knew that he would be able to ask Harry about the scars later.

A thin ray of sunlight shone through the rafters of the old building and Draco glanced towards Professor Lupin who seemed to be slowly returning to his human form. He didn't remove the sleeping spell yet though, just in case the werewolf part of him was still in control. Draco realized that this would be the perfect chance to check for the imperious curse and he was relieved when he found no outside influences.

"It seems like Professor Lupin is himself. We should probably give him some space to breathe before he freaks out though." Harry shook his head in response and got up. Draco didn't stop him now that he knew that Harry was perfectly fine. Well, as perfectly fine as a person with basilisk venom in their veins could get. Draco still intended to check Harry's blood later on.

"I have to help him Draco, he'll know that I am telling the truth if I give him the same potions I usually do." Draco was confused until he saw a small bag of potion lying next to where Harry had fallen. He picked them up and handed them over to Harry. None of the vials were broken so Harry probably had the foresight to place an unbreakable spell on them.

Harry got up and moved closer to the professor who had completely gained his human form by now. Draco canceled to sleeping spell and the professor's eyes immediately opened. He was still very groggy though, so when Harry urged him to drink the potions, he immediately thanked him by name.

Draco stood with his wand ready as his gut told him that things wouldn't be so simple and sure enough the professor reached for his wand as soon as he realized that a student he didn't know was tending to his wounds. Draco immediately cast an immobulus spell and the werewolf let out a frustrated sound as he realized he was caught. Draco wanted to speak but Harry beat him to it.

"It's ok Remy, it's me Harry. I just used a spell to change my form." The professor didn't look very convinced. Draco heard Harry sigh. "I usually give you the same potions I just gave you in the exact same order after every full moon, since you feel sick to your stomach if they are given in any other order. Does any of this ring a bell? Didn't I tell you that you could use the Room of Requirement when you change? If you give the room express orders not to let you out until you are human again, then it would work."

A shaky smile spread over the werewolf's face and Draco canceled his spell. Professor Lupin immediately engulfed Harry in a huge hug before demanding to know what's going on.

"It's great to see you, cub. What are you doing at Hogwarts? Did Draco find you? I know you said that I shouldn't tell anyone where you were, but he seemed anxious for your help." Draco rolled his eyes at this. Yeah okay, he did beg the professor to tell him where Harry was, but that didn't mean Harry had to know about it.

Harry was about to speak but Draco intercepted him. "Hi Professor Lupin, it's me Draco. Allow me to answer your questions. Harry agreed to help me with a mission that required us to go undercover at Hogwarts. We are presently acting as first year Slytherins in order to find a group of people before they harm the Ministry." Lupin raised an eyebrow at this and Draco understood his surprise. They both knew that Harry had no love for the Ministry so something else must have prompted him to help Draco.

For a moment Draco thought that Lupin might think that he was blackmailing Harry, but the werewolf must have remembered something more relevant because he nodded to Draco in understanding. Needless to say, Draco was confused but he successfully hid it.

"Would you be able to help us, Professor? We need as much help as we can get if we are going to reveal the culprits in just two months. We asked another professor for help as well and he agreed. Harry also roped in a couple of seventh-year students who are looking to become Aurors next year. I might not agree with using students, but we will be able to ensure that they get into the academy if they can pull this off. We don't intend on putting them into any trouble though, their job is just to gather information."

Lupin nodded. "Of course I'll help! I'd do anything to keep my cub out of danger. Who's the other Professor? Wait don't tell me. I'm pretty sure it's Severus." Draco winced a little. If it was that obvious then his godfather might find himself in trouble. But Draco mentally shook his head. Only those that knew that Severus was his godfather would be able to guess that he was involved and Harry told Lupin only recently. Nobody else knew so nobody else would guess. He might have to ask his godfather to tone down the 'special treatment' though; otherwise, it would become rather obvious.

"Yes, my godfather will be helping us. Harry will be able to fill you in on our plan a bit later. Now we should probably get back to our dorms as fast as we can. It's the second day of classes and the teachers won't be happy if we skip." Harry nodded in agreement, but he stopped just before following Draco out the room. Draco stopped outside as he realized that Harry wasn't following him.

"What's wrong Remy? The moment you mentioned Professor Snape, it seemed like you weren't really happy about something. I thought the two o you have cleared up your differences and become friends?" Draco could hear Remus chuckle in response.

"It's nothing cub. Yes, we are friends. Things just got a little complicated a while back. Don't worry about it though, get to your class." Draco saw Harry nod before they made their way through the root tunnel and back to the Whomping Willow. It took a while, but they finally made it back to their dorm room, just as the rest of the students started waking up.

They got dressed in silence before heading to the Great Hall. They passed a few Gryffindors on their way and subtly reflected the hexes they cast, back at the casters. It felt strange to Draco when he saw the Gryffindors treat Harry as the enemy and he had to remind himself quite a few times that for all intent and purposes, Harry was the enemy of the Gryffindor team now.

It was only the knowledge that they were stronger than any of the students at Hogwarts that allowed Draco to relax in his seat as they reached their table. Usually, he would rant because of an unfair advantage between years, but secretly being the eldest among the students had its perks. Draco also didn't want to draw any attention to themselves. Another hex made its way towards them under the tables and Draco sent it back again. _"This is going to be a long day if they keep this up though."_

 _ **Thank you to those who are reading and following this fanfic…**_ _ **I have re-uploaded the previous chapter since I saw a few errors in logic that I made while I wrote it.**_

 _ **A special thank you to Madra uzemaki for your kind words, I shall mourn but never forget.**_


	11. Chapter 11 From Foes to Friends

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

 **Chapter 11: From foes to friends (Remus)**

Remus found himself deep in thought as he walked towards his room. His mind was reeling as he tried to make sense of everything that had happened this morning. He didn't expect to wake up healed by Harry though, that much was certain.

He wondered how Harry and Draco had been able to hold up against his werewolf form, but they seemed to have managed. A part of him worried whether he should have checked for bites, but they had both looked fine. He had been mostly out of it if he had to be honest with himself, but they wouldn't have hidden any wounds from him, that much was certain.

What had shocked him the most though, was the thought that he would have to work with Severus while they helped Harry and Draco with their case. He didn't personally have anything against the man, but it brought up certain memories that he rather would have left buried in the past since it would be impossible to go back to how things were at that time. It still plagued him that he'd been the one to cause the problems between them though. He would do anything if he knew they could be friends again

They had made peace between them a long time ago and Remus had found himself drawn to how Severus seemed to adapt to whatever situation life tended to throw at him. Even James and Sirius had stopped bullying Severus once they realized that a certain friend of theirs had feelings for the raven haired boy and as always Peter had just followed along silently without taking part in any of the crazy pranks.

It didn't take long however for his feelings to grow into something unexpected and he had found himself avoiding Severus more and more. Most people would have blamed James and Sirius for breaking their friendship, but in truth, it had been Remus himself. He had been too scared to face Severus about his lycanthropy once he'd recognized his feelings and so he had avoided the raven haired man as much as possible.

Granted, he had tried to contact Severus once he realized that Severus already knew about his… affliction, and accepted him despite the poison running through his veins, he had been too late. He'd seen the Death Eater's mark as soon as he tried to corner Severus in his room after a shower and that had broken both of them. Remus had known that the mark had barely been a few hours old because of the red inflamed skin around the mark and it had infuriated him.

Instead of recognizing the pain and anguish in Severus' eyes that needed him to comfort him, Lupin had turned his back on him and fled. He knew it had been a cowardly thing to do, but he'd only felt his own pain at that moment. He had been unable to understand why the person he cared for wanted to fight for his enemy.

He could still clearly remember his heart begging him to go back and make things right that one night, but self-pity had won him over. His mind had forced him to realize a while later that Severus would never willingly take the mark if he didn't have to, but it had been too late to return to the point they had once been at.

Remus stumbled into his room without even closing his door and fell on the bed. Harry might have healed him, but his magic and his mind were still exhausted from the shift.

Familiar footsteps entered his room and Remus felt his breath hitch slightly. The smell of several different potions ingredients alerted him to the fact that the footsteps belonged to Severus.

Remus wanted to speak to him, but he knew he would be unable to find the words that could make things right between them. So he just pretended to sleep as the potions master placed a few potions next to his bed.

This was their routine after each full moon. Remus would stumble back to his room in pain and Severus would silently bring the potions he needed to heal. No words were ever spoken between them even though Remus suspected that Severus knew that he was awake.

The footsteps seemed to linger next to his bed before silently making their way to the door and Remus found that he couldn't keep silent any longer. "Thank you, Severus."

The footsteps stopped just inside the door, but they lingered only a moment before he heard the sound of the door being closed. Remus closed his eyes in pain at being ignored until his mind slowly registered that Severus had softly replied to him before he shut the door.

"You're welcome, Remus." The words made his heart ache as his eyes opened and he looked towards the tiny piece of blue sky that could be viewed from his window. It felt nice to know that he'd been able to finally say something to Severus, but it reminded him that they had not voluntarily spoken to each other in many years.

Remus knew that he would have to try and fix things between them while they helped Harry and Draco with their mission, but there was a very real possibility that Severus would refuse to forgive him.

" _Maybe it would be better if they find someone else to help in my place? I mean, as much as I would like to be able to work with him and talk to him again, I might as well face the fact that I have waited too long to apologize."_

It's true that the case was actually given to Harry and Draco, but they would unfortunately not understand why Severus wouldn't want to work with him. Remus might have to use all the courage he could get, but it was the only way he could think of to show that he was sorry.

His entire body seemed to sag in relief as the tension disappeared from his body at the decision. He sat up and drank the potions before lying back down and turning onto his side. Severus must have known which potions Harry had given him because he'd only brought a dreamless sleep potion, a pepper-up potion, and a potion to relieve pain. He left the pepper-up potion for later since he really would need it then. His decision finally allowed him to fall into a peaceful sleep.

A few hours later, Remus found himself in front of Severus' room. His hand was frozen mid-air as a battle of reason occurred in his mind. A part of him wanted to just knock and get the everything over and done with, while another part of him reasoned that he should go back to his room and forget the whole thing, or maybe just think about it a little more.

" _If I didn't know any better, I would actually think I'm a coward."_ Remus flinched and dropped his hand. _"Maybe he's busy? I can always come back later. He usually brews important potions on the days he doesn't have class, so it would be better if I talk to him tomorrow. I wouldn't want him to blame me if a potion gets ruined."_

He stepped back and turned to walk down the corridor, but a huge explosion sounded up behind him. His heart hammered loudly in his chest as he realized that it had come from Severus' room. He turned and ripped open the door without a second thought.

Smoke covered the entire room, making it hard to see and Remus quickly cast a barrier spell to stop the smoke from escaping out the door. He didn't know what potion the smoke came from, so it was better to be safe than to risk bypassing students inhaling any harmful fumes. He also cast a barrier spell around himself as he moved past the barrier at the door in order to search for Severus.

He searched the entire room but found no sign of Severus or the potion. A door to his right indicated that the potion might be in the next room and he swallowed nervously. He knew the door led to Severus' living and sleeping quarters and he had no idea why the potions master would brew a potion there unless it was either very important or illegal.

He was willing to bet on both since the potions master frequently took up the challenge of brewing long-forgotten potions that could just as easily kill the maker as it would the target, hence the illegal part. And the only people who would request such potions, would be those who could afford to pay the price, hence the very important part.

Remus crossed the room and hesitated at the door that led to the rest of Severus' quarters. _"He probably knew that the potion would react like it did and if that's the case then he would have cast a barrier spell around him in preparation. If he found me bursting into his rooms unannounced in that case, then he might get angry. He would probably then think that I'm questioning his abilities."_ Remus cringed at the thought. He really didn't want to make Severus angry, but he couldn't help but think about what would happen if the explosion was in fact, an unforeseen accident.

Remus took a deep breath before slowly opening the door. He would rather face an angry Snape and receive the assurance that he was okay than walk away and find out he'd gotten hurt.

The smoke made it hard to see as he walked into the room, but he immediately spotted the cauldron where the explosion originated. Smoke was still pouring out of the cauldron and the potion inside it seemed to evaporate in order to form the smoke.

He didn't really pay attention to the rest of the room since he couldn't see Severus anywhere. Instead, he walked closer to the cauldron. _"I've never heard of a potion that evaporates like that before. Maybe Severus was experimenting with something? He's good at creating new potions so that could be it, but where is he?"_

Remus turned around, but before he could move towards another room, two hands grabbed him and he found himself pulled into a barrier much stronger than his own. He felt his heart jump into his throat as he came face-to-face with a very angry Snape.

"What are you doing in here Remus? You should know better than to enter my rooms when I'm working on potions. Do you know how easily you could have fallen into a coma if you breathed in this smoke?" Severus paused in his rant and Remus was shocked to see that the raven-haired professor had actually been worried about him. "At least you had enough sense to place a barrier around you before you entered the room, now stand still while I bottle up the potion fumes."

With a wave of his wand, Severus started guiding the fumes into bottles and then closing each bottle with a cork. The smoke in the air cleared with every bottle he filled and soon enough the room was clear again. Remus still didn't move however because he knew better than to move before Severus told him it was safe to do so.

Sure enough, the potions professor cleared the room by sending a sweeping breeze through it before dispelling the air in order to make it disappear.

The barrier was taken down and Remus now found himself facing a very irritated raven. Remus flinched again, but this time it was because he had only seen Severus this angry once and that was back in their school days when he'd just barely made it out of the Forbidden forest alive after teasing the centaurs on a dare.

Severus had been so mad because of his stupidity that he completely ignored Remus for an entire month after telling him that he didn't deserve people who cared about him if he tried to court death at every turn.

Granted, it had been a very stupid dare and he still carried the scars from the assault, but he thought it had been worth the risk at the time. Especially after James mentioned that Severus would think he's brave if he completed it successfully. But after seeing what a very angry Snape looked like, he'd promised himself to never follow a dare ever again.

"Well, Remus? Care to explain yourself?" Remus took a deep breath at Severus' words before he looked him directly in the eye. _"I should just as well tell him everything now. I might not get another chance."_

"I didn't mean to barge in, Severus. I came here to talk to you about something but I decided to rather not bother you today. I heard an explosion coming from your room as I turned to walk away and I immediately thought that you got hurt…" Remus could see that Severus was about to interrupt him, so he held up his hand to silence him.

"Yes, I know you're a potions master and no I don't think you're incompetent. I just reacted on instinct instead of thinking things through." Severus raised an eyebrow at his words and Remus laughed awkwardly at the action. It felt strange talking to Severus again, but it felt good even though the potions master was a little angry at the moment.

"I came to tell you that I can ask Harry and Draco to find someone different in my place if you think that we would be unable to work together. I'm sorry about my thoughtlessness in the past and I didn't want to make things awkward for you if you were forced to work with me. I'm really sorry that I ran away that time without helping you. I was selfish and I only thought about my own feelings instead of being able to be there when you needed me. I missed our friendship throughout these years, but I was too scared to apologize and to then get rejected by you."

Silence descended between them and Remus started fidgeting as Severus made no move to either accept or reject his apology. His mind felt numb as he realized that he had practically blurted out almost all of his feelings because of his nervousness and now his fate hung on whatever was going through Snape's mind at the moment.

Five minutes of silence passed in between them and every passing second that he waited for the answer, made the pain he felt in his heart, grow. It was one thing to believe that his apology would get rejected, but it was another thing entirely when it actually really happened.

A few more seconds ticked by and finally Remus found that he couldn't wait any longer. It was obvious that Severus was trying to find the right words to reject his apology, and even though he wished that the potions master would just come out and say it, he would apparently not get his way.

Remus straightened himself before he nodded stiffly to Severus. "I guess you've already made up your mind to reject my apology. You don't have to sugarcoat it; I already suspected that this would be your reaction. I'm sorry that I waited so long to apologize, please tell Draco and Harry to let me know once they find someone to help in my place." Remus walked out of the room as fast as he could. His movement seemed to jolt Severus out of his frozen state since he could hear Snape rushing to catch up to him while urgently calling his name.

But Remus ignored him and focused on getting back to his rooms instead. He still had a few days to recover his strength, but that didn't mean he could just sit around all day, he still had some research to do. He grabbed a book and made his way to his favorite seat at the window.

He didn't even have enough time to open the book, however, because his door was suddenly thrown open and an even angrier Severus than the one he'd left behind, grabbed onto his collar. He was forced to stand and Remus was about to push him away, but the raven-haired man refused to let him do anything other than to pay attention to his words.

"You don't know how close I am to hexing you at this very moment Remus! How dare you come into my quarters and expect me to calmly forgive you when you suddenly find yourself able to apologize after so many years? Did it even occur to you that it would take a while for your words to sink in? For Merlin's sake, did you actually manage to lose half your brain during that transformation of yours? And if that isn't enough you suddenly decide to play martyr by telling me that you will step down and find someone else I can work with to solve the case. Who do you think that would be? Do you think that idiotic groundkeeper would be able to handle the job? Maybe we should ask the deputy headmaster or maybe even the headmistress herself?"

Snape visibly trembled in his anger as his rant continued. "The fact is that no-one will be able to work better together than the two of us combined. Yes, it may have been many years since we last worked together due to your stupidity, but I accept your apology. Now if you would only promise to start thinking things through before you act, I might forgive you for your apparent lack of good judgment. But this doesn't mean that I will forget about it entirely."

Remus could only nod as his mind registered Severus' words. He really hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Snape usually refused to explain himself and in essence, his emotions and Remus would always wonder what his family situation was like. He didn't like the fact that he upset the potions master so much that he even revealed certain details about himself, but it felt good to know that they would be working together again.

Severus let go of his robes and Remus found himself swiftly sitting down on a couch with Severus opposite him. He started to speak, although the air around them still felt very awkward. "I guess this means we will have to work on our strategy." A faint nod was all he received in reply.

 _ **Thank you to those who are reading and following this fanfic…**_


	12. Chapter 12 Plans

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _ **Warning all Severus Snape fans, he might not be acting like 'himself' in this chapter (Not to mention in this story so far… I mean a helpful professor Snape is something you get when you're either dreaming or dead) but he will assume his aloof self with the rest of the students.**_

 _ **Can anyone picture a prank-loving Snape? Yeah, neither can I. Although I do imagine that he loves to be in the loop.**_

 _ **For some reason he talks a lot in this chapter and frankly, it's scaring me.**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

 **Chapter 12: Plans (Severus)**

Severus hadn't been planning on revealing his thoughts when he confronted Remus, but now that he found himself sitting opposite the man, he had to admit that things had worked out for the best. He was just irritated that it had taken so long.

Remus was, unfortunately, one of those people who ran away from his problems until he was cornered into facing them, but Severus had refused to be the one to make the first move. He knew it was because Remus tended to overthink certain problems, but he wasn't going to accept that as an excuse.

"Basically we are going to have to keep our eyes on both the students and the rest of the teachers, Remus. We already know the habits of most of the students and teachers so that will make things easy. The only problem is the first years, but I doubt that any of them are involved. Do you know how Harry and Draco pulled off their transformations?"

Remus shook his head. "They didn't get that far. Speaking of teachers though, I recall seeing Poppy sneaking around outside Hogsmeade the other day. I didn't think much of it at the time, but she met with a hooded figure at the Three Broomsticks, soon after. We all know that that isn't her typical behavior, so maybe I should look into it? It would be a start."

Severus nodded thoughtfully as he glanced around the room. He only ever entered Remus' rooms when he brought his potions, so it felt strange to be able to sit and look around. He dragged his attention back to Remus though.

"I've also noticed Poppy sneaking about, come to think of it. It's easy to notice since she usually spends all her time at the infirmary. I wonder who she's been meeting." Severus frowned as a thought occurred to him. He didn't really care about many people, but Poppy's presence was usually bearable. She wouldn't willingly harm students. But it would make sense for the people behind the threats to use someone who had easy access to the students.

"You know Remus, Harry and Draco had been smart to create new personalities instead of using the forms of one of the teachers or students that were already present at school last year. It's easier to create a new personality than to try and copy the minuscule mannerisms that another person executes without thought. If we keep a close eye on Poppy, we might get the chance to test her for the imperious curse or the polyjuice potion."

Remus seemed to think for a moment before replying. "I will try and determine how her schedule works. She is often seen with Sybill and Pomona though. If anyone knew whether there was something going on with Poppy, they might. I will try to be subtle when I ask, but I will have to keep an eye on them as well at first. No use trying to solve this case as soon as possible if we give away our roles in the process."

Something else occurred to Remus and he seemed to hesitate before speaking. "Did you know about the two seventh year students that offered to help?" At Severus' confused expression, he continued. "Apparently both the students intend to be Aurors once they graduate. They decided that they would help once Harry explained things to them."

Severus looked a little apprehensive at the news. "The only Slytherin students who intend to be Aurors after they graduate, are Jean and Theo. You could say they're the Slytherin version of the Weasley twins. They make great allies, but I shudder to think what will happen once they find out who 'Harold' and 'Draconis' really are."

Remus started worrying at the tone in Severus' voice. "I take it those are the names Draco and Harry are using. Do they have some reason to hate them? If my calculations are correct then they must have been in their fourth year when Harry and Draco graduated. Did something happen during the years they were at Hogwarts together?"

Severus suddenly let out a harsh laugh. "Hate? No, they don't hate them. In fact, it would be a lot more accurate to say that they worship the ground those two walk on. If they were to find out about Draco and Harry, we will find ourselves in big trouble and I don't think their enemies will know what hit them once those two seventh-years decide to become serious."

Remus seemed utterly confused now. "I don't get it. Wouldn't that be a good thing? It will help both Harry and Draco to have a few students to count on when we can't help them."

Severus stood and shook his head at Remus. "No, they will try to form their own plans in order to keep their 'idols' from harm and then we might have to detain them to keep them from jumping into the line of fine." Severus hesitated a bit. "I will see you later Remus. I still have a few things to finish up before tomorrow. Draco mentioned that they would be visiting me tonight so I might be able to fill them in on the situation. I will also talk to Theo and Jean to determine what their plans are."

He barely noticed Remus bidding him a good night before he exited the rooms and headed towards his own. This entire mission seemed to be the result of some half-baked plan to send the Ministry into turmoil. Not that he really minded. Most of those buffoons hardly knew what a real case was. They have become too comfortable with their seats of power and the wizarding population would only benefit if they got shaken out of their stupor.

Severus noted a few students crowding in the courtyard and he moved closer to investigate. No one could see him from where he stood as the sun set, but in turn, he could clearly see a bunch of Gryffindors trying to back two very familiar Slytherins into a corner. His first reaction would have been to protect his snakes, but since he knew Draco and Harry could take care of themselves, he took a seat and decided to enjoy a good fight for once.

To his slight disappointment, however, Draco stepped back and crossed his arms while leaning against a wall, leaving Harry to take on the seven Gryffindors by himself. He knew Draco could easily send them to the infirmary without uttering a single word, but curiosity took over as he realized that he didn't know how Harry would deal with the confrontation.

He didn't get to see anything however because a very angry phoenix with what seemed to be a snake wrapped around its neck, chose that moment land on Harry's shoulder. The snake dropped down at his feet and lengthened into a ten-foot long basilisk. At least it seemed that the basilisk could at least keep its eyes layered since the only thing freezing the students at that moment, was their fear.

He was proud, however, when Draco quickly stepped forward and diffused the situation with only a few words. "Wow Harold, are these the familiars you mentioned? When you told me you had bonded to a bird and a snake, I never imagined that you meant a phoenix and a basilisk." The boy was a bloody born diplomat. Severus relaxed as Harry seemed to catch on.

"Yes well, they are near immortal so they get passed onto the first-born son of every generation as soon as he enters Hogwarts. That's if they accept him that is. Although it's the first time they have been sent to Hogwarts. Luckily the Ministry decided to abolish the familiar restrictions last year." Even Severus had to admit that it was a plausible explanation and the 'brave' Gryffindors didn't think it wise to stick around after that. Not to mention the fact that the rest of the onlookers soon scattered as fast as they could.

Only a few snakes stayed behind and Severus decided to make his appearance as he softly drawled, "I expect every Slytherin to meet me in the common room within an hour's time. No exceptions." Those present nodded and he gave a knowing look to Harry, which hopefully indicated that they would be able to explain themselves there. If Harry didn't come up with a concrete background story then he might find himself being exposed before the game even started.

His reputation, however, provided him with a little bit of extra help. Not even thirty minutes had passed before he found himself standing in front of the entire Slytherin house. _"Apparently being one of the most feared professors at Hogwarts had its perks. Now to get all this over and done with so that I can finally have some peace."_

Severus glanced around at the faces of his house and he inwardly smirked as some of them started to fidget guiltily. He mentally noted who the guilty faces belonged to and filed them away for future reference and decided to approach the current and most pressing matter.

"It has come to my attention that one of the students in our house has come into the possession of two alarmingly rare and possibly dangerous creatures. Harold James step forward immediately." Severus was quite surprised as a timid looking Harry stepped forwards. Truthfully, if Severus hadn't personally known identity behind the brat's facade, he would have actually believed that the first year 'boy' in front of him was quaking in his boots.

"Y-yes, Professor?" Severus had to hide his smirk behind a scowl as he looked down him. The rest of the students were now staring at the boy and he saw expressions ranking all the way from confusion to worry as he singled Harry out from the crowd around him. Obviously, he knew that Harry didn't like big crowds but this would be the only way to spread rumors throughout the school.

"Earlier this evening I happened to be taking a stroll around the castle and I was much alarmed to find that you are in possession of a phoenix and a basilisk. Care to explain why, Mister James?" Harry nodded and stepped forward even more.

"Well, you see sir, they are my familiars. It is traditional in our family to pass them down to whomever they bond to and seeing as they both share a strand of fate, they can only be bonded to those who has enough soul power to satisfy two familiars at the same time. My father decided to send them to me the moment he realized that I had bonded with them. But I don't know what the problem is sir. The Ministry approved the bonding of familiars and Blaine would never petrify or kill anyone unless they have bad intentions towards me. Leah is a phoenix so that is self-explanatory. The only reason my family couldn't bring them to school before is because the school didn't want to allow it."

Harry looked slightly flushed as if he was actually worried about the situation, but Severus knew better. What he didn't know though is how the one-time Gryffindor managed to actually act his piece. As much as it irked him to admit it, Harry would have made a pretty decent Slytherin if they weren't doing all of this in order to complete a mission.

"Am I right to assume that those Gryffindors from earlier had ill intentions, hence the fact that your familiars charged in?" Harry nodded in confirmation before looking awkwardly at his feet. "Yes, sir."

"Then I assume everything is fine. This is the Slytherin house though, so I would assume this conversation won't pass by these walls?" Everyone in the common room nodded. "Good. Now, Harold, I would suggest that you make sure that your familiars hurt no one. Yes, the Ministry may have abolished the law on familiars, but if they were to hurt anyone, well you can just imagine the consequences."

Snape glanced around the Slytherin common room again. "You may mention the incident to your friends outside of this house, but do not let on that they won't be able to harm anyone. I for one will find it amusing to see how 'brave' Gryffindors actually are when faced with such a deadly combination of familiars."

Almost the entire Slytherin house grinned at the thought as they walked to their rooms. Soon enough Severus was left alone with Harry and Draco. He motioned for them to follow him as he walked towards his room. He motioned them inside before sitting on one of the chairs that stood in the room. Only then did he ask what was going on.

"Now that, that is settled, will you tell me the real reason your familiars decided to bless us with their presence? How did you even find a phoenix and a basilisk who share a single strand of fate? You know what, never mind. I need to return to my quarters. Bring the information and you report to me as soon as possible, then we can talk."

Harry and Draco nodded before leaving the room. Blessed silence followed as they closed the door and Severus sat a few more minutes before standing up. He had a few potions to test and deliver before he could head to bed. The thought reminded him that he had class again the next day and he shook his head as if in pain. _"Those idiotic beings will be the cause of my death someday."_

He made his way to the fumes he bottled up earlier and was pleased to find that the glass inside the bottles was already turning black. Any other color would indicate a failure. Severus frowned. Remus should be glad that he only entered the room with a shield after the sound of an explosion rocked the room. Any earlier and his shield might not have protected him no matter how strong it was.

 _ **Thank you to those who are following this fanfic…**_

 _ **I apologize for it being a little short though, I was kind of sick in bed for the past two days, without being able to do anything except sleep.**_


	13. Chapter 13 Distractions

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **Chapter 13: Distractions (Harry)**

Harry followed Draco back to the dorms as they left Severus' quarters. He cast a silent Muffliato then stepped up next to him as they walked. He could clearly see by the aristocrat's facial expression that he was really not happy about their plan. Harry decided that he would have to diffuse the tension somehow. "You know, the distraction did work out pretty well back there. Are you still angry about it?"

Frankly, it looked like he was about to explode, but Harry knew he would get his anger under control before he spoke. He had to admit though; Draco did look kind of hot when he was angry… _"No, no bad line of thought. I have to concentrate on calming him down. But how can I do that? I don't even know why he's angry about it in the first place."_

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as Draco softly began to speak and the soft tone magnified the fact that Draco Malfoy was probably trying to keep himself from beating the stupidity out of a certain one-time Gryffindor. "Do I actually have to tell you why I'm upset? It's quite obvious if you think about it." He seemed to pause to let Harry speak, but when he said nothing, Draco continued. "You are in Slytherin now Harry and all Slytherins keep their trump cards a secret for when they actually need to reveal them under extremely bad circumstances. What you just did lost you two of your biggest chances of safety and you probably tipped off a whole lot of people to who you actually are."

Harry looked closely at Draco. So that was what the whole thing was about. Draco was afraid that he had just revealed his biggest secrets and that people would now be able to easily restrain Blaine and Leah in order to injure or kill him. Harry smirked. "Aww Draco, I didn't know you cared." He had to duck swiftly as a fist sailed through the air where his head had just been.

"Of course I care you idiot. Where am I going to find another rival? No one would come close to how persistently irritating and dense you are." Harry wanted to take offense, but seeing the slight smile on Draco's lips made the words die before he could even form them. _"I wonder what he would do if I kiss him again…? Wait no, bad idea. Besides, anyone could walk around the corner any moment now."_ He glanced down.

Harry took a deep breath to calm down before looking up at Draco again. "Look, Blaine and Leah aren't even going to be used unless it is really necessary. I don't want them getting hurt. People will be more likely to try and take them out of the picture for a while rather than forever if they know about them beforehand. I still have a lot of so-called tricks up my sleeve and Blaine and Leah will distract people from watching anything you do. Yes, it might make it harder for me to leave the spotlight, but the goblin nation owes me a favor so they will make sure that the 'paperwork' they have, reveal that I am telling the truth about the inheritance story."

Harry saw Draco nod in relief as they came to the door to the Slytherin common room. The room was silent and empty except for two very familiar Slytherins sitting next to the fireplace, playing chess. Harry smiled inwardly as he saw that they were taunting each other by copying each other's moves, which created a rather interesting symmetrical design on the chessboard. "Hey there, did anything interesting happen while we were away?" The two looked up from their game and smiled.

"Yeah, right. As if anything ever interesting happens around here without the two of you around. So what happened? Did you get in trouble?" Harry shook his head and sat on a chair close to them with Draco following his lead.

"Nope. Professor Snape just wanted to ensure that I could actually control my familiars well enough. I also had to promise that they didn't interfere with school though." Jean and Theo nodded before turning back to their game. Harry decided to finish his homework as well when he saw that Draco was busy taking out his own books.

A companionable silence descended upon the common room and Harry finished his homework just ten minutes after Draco. They called goodnight to Jean and Theo who were still playing chess, but Jean called them closer before they moved more than two steps in the direction of their dorm room.

"Hey before the two of you head to bed. Could I ask you something?" Harry immediately nodded but Draco crossed his arms in front of him. His expression immediately told Harry that he was very wary about what Jean would ask.

"It depends on what you want to ask." Harry really couldn't stop his eyes from rolling at the blatant Slytherin behavior. _"It's no wonder Draco and I never got along at school. I would never have been able to trust him with anything if I knew I had to check for loopholes or a secret Slytherin code of conduct before telling him anything."_

Jean smirked and didn't take offense. "You know Filch, the castle's caretaker?" Both of them nodded. "Well, I would suggest you find a way to get him on your side. If you help him, he will help you and you might find that getting around the castle whenever you want, will become a lot easier."

Harry was surprised at the advice and it was obvious that Draco was as well, but they had nothing to lose. "Alright, well go see him when we can, although I'm now very curious as to how you were able to get on his good side."

Jean and Theo looked at each other then laughed. Theo nodded to Jean and he turned back to Harry and Draco. "We found some kids bullying him and we didn't like it so we bullied them back. Filch is a lot smarter than he looks and after he realized that students weren't teasing him anymore, he decided to look into it. He easily found out about our pranks and caught us red-handed once when we placed a jinx on the brooms of one of the students who taunted Filch about the death of Mrs. Norris."

Everyone flinched at the stupidity of said student. Death was hard no matter who died. But Jean continued his tale. "Needless to say, when we were called to his quarters we expected hours of torture in detention. Instead we each got a glass of butterbeer and he let on that he left all his confiscated prank gear in the chest in the corner of the room. From then on we made sure to alert him to any harmful objects we heard about around school and he would, in turn, ignore our pranks. I must say, I was surprised to find out that he actually enjoyed the pranks when he wasn't the target."

Harry had never found himself more shocked in his entire life. He was pretty sure he resembled a gaping fish at the moment and when he glanced at Draco, he saw that he wasn't faring any better. _"So the Prince of Slytherin can be shocked speechless too? That was interesting."_ Harry filed it away for future teasing material.

"Okay, so any ideas where we could talk to him without getting a detention?" As much as they probably needed the caretaker on their side, Harry really didn't want to sit through a two-hour torture session with Filch to get it. He would probably force them to clean the dirtiest part of the castle by hand.

This time it was Theo that answered. "The only way to not get detention is when he leaves on his break, but he usually goes into the Forbidden Forest in that time, so even if you do follow him there, students aren't allowed in the forest and he would automatically be forced to give you detention."

Draco seemed to think a bit at this. "Any idea what he does in the Forbidden forest? I mean, I heard it's normal for people to sneak in from time to time and my father also mentioned that the half-giant named Hagrid spends a lot of time in there, but he never mentioned anyone else spending time there. Isn't it supposed to be dangerous and cursed?"

Harry felt his lips twitch and he had to mentally force down the smile that wanted to form. Draco actually played the 'innocent schoolboy' very well. It would have raised a lot of questions if it became apparent that they actually knew more than mere first-years were supposed to know and this way they can easily get more information.

"The Forbidden forest is very dangerous, but it's not cursed. And you're right about Hagrid spending a lot of time there. He's a good man, but he's a bit too kind hearted, to be honest. He would probably get eaten by one of his pets one day." Harry didn't really like to think about it, but he knew Hagrid well and this was a fact.

Jean glanced from Harry to Draco then shrugged. "We don't know what draws Filch to the Forbidden forest time and time again, but he didn't start doing that until after Mrs. Norris died, so most people think that he's visiting her grave. I have seen him coming from the forest numerous times though and every time it's as if he's happy."

Harry wanted to shake his head as the strange picture of a happy Filch entered his mind. The two concepts just didn't fit together at all. But it should probably not have surprised him. After all, the image of a pranking Filch didn't faze him too much so how can a happy Filch be any worse? _"Oh, who am I kidding? Both are equally bad and if I wasn't in shock at the moment I would be rolling around on the floor laughing my head off."_

"Well, thank you and goodnight. Well try and see what exactly Filch is up to tomorrow, but for now, we really need to head to bed. Enjoy your game of chess." Harry could see Jean and Theo share amused smirks as they settled back around their game of chess. Draco was apparently still in shock because he said nothing as Harry dragged him towards their room.

As they shut the door behind them, Harry made sure to cast a few privacy charms around the room to keep any nosy listeners at bay. Once it was safe to do so, he spoke. "You know, if I didn't know for a fact that this was our reality, I would've started to think that the ritual had taken us to some far-fetched parallel world where unexpected happenings were normal."

Draco breathed deeply and nodded. "I'm with you there. I really didn't expect that. But then again, no one ever did bother to talk to him. Even if we did, he would have probably just given us detention for distracting him from his duties. I didn't even know he had a lunch break."

Harry found himself laughing hard at this. "Well, that's not too shocking. You do tend to ignore everyone you think is beneath you. Not to mention that in the past you would have barely even deigned to talk to a half-blood, let alone a squib."

Draco blushed a little at this and Harry could clearly see that he was embarrassed because of his behavior. "Yeah, I was a real prat I know, but I didn't know how to behave in any other way at the time. So are we going to try and corner Filch in-between classes tomorrow? I don't know about you but I am actually very curious as to why he goes to the Forbidden forest so much. If he's meeting an enemy and giving them information then we might be able to catch him red-handed if we follow him."

Harry felt himself nodding in understanding. "That's true, so then it's settled. We'll follow him into the Forbidden Forest. We'll just have to wear my cloak to keep anyone from noticing us. We're going to have to be quick about it too, we can't skip classes." Harry moved over to his bed and sighed in exasperation before glancing at Draco with hands on his hips as he realized that something huge had burrowed under his covers.

"I should have known this would happen when I placed that heating charm on my bed." Draco looked confused at first, but he burst out laughing when he stepped closer to find out why Harry sounded so amused.

"I would say that you're the first person in the world that can say that you have a basilisk waiting for you in bed. Well, unless Salazar Slytherin also had a habit of sleeping with his snake. Jeez, saying it out loud makes it even worse." Draco chuckled uncontrollably as Harry shot him a dirty look before pulling the covers off of Blaine.

 _~ You know Blaine, if you keep growing at this rate, I might have to either shrink you or get a bigger bed, now move over. ~_ Harry was pretty sure he saw the snake grin, but he didn't move as much as an inch, so he tried again. _~ I guess you're just going to have to sleep in your own bed then. ~_ This only gained him a little attention and Harry shook his head in exasperation as he moved to take out his wand. At least he knew a useful shrinking spell.

Not that he got very far though since Blaine chose that moment to whip his tail out from under the covers to grab him around his waist and Harry found himself dragged beneath the covers and encircled within the coils of a snickering basilisk before he even had a chance to realize what had happened.

A singing tone alerted him to the fact that even Leah, who was perched on a stand next to his bed, found the entire situation funny. A thud made him glance down and he saw an almost hysterical Draco lying on the floor and clutching his stomach while trying to speak in between the fits of laughter. "Y-you should s-see your face H-harry!"

Even Harry had to admit that the entire situation was comical, but he wasn't about to admit it. Oh well, two could play at this game. "Really? I see something much stranger though. I would never have ever imagined that I would live to see the day that the Malfoy heir didn't find it beneath him to roll around on a dungeon floor in laughter."

This sobered Draco slightly, but not as much as Harry had hoped. "These carpets are made from the finest materials that can be found even in the Wizarding world Harry, so trust me when I say that you can't really use this to try and blackmail me without giving away your own situation. If this is the way your familiars listen to you then we are all in big trouble." Harry scoffed at his words. He knew Draco was teasing him, but the brat didn't have to sound so smug about it.

He turned to face Blaine. _~ Come on Blaine, let me go, I need to change clothes first. ~_ The snake didn't move an inch, but he could feel a slight shiver run down the snake's body and Harry frowned as apprehension dawned on him. _~ Are you upset because of what happened earlier? I wasn't in any real danger you know. Draco would have helped me out if I was. ~_ Harry reached up to softly stroke the scales and Blaine finally lifted his head. He noticed that Draco had moved away to allow them some privacy.

 _~ I know this snakeling. Yet it still doesn't sit well with me to leave my fate bonded wizard out in the open like that. Even Leah had to hold herself back from shredding those useless sacks of meat, and she is a creature of the light. ~_ Blaine put his head on Harry's chest.

Harry nodded in understanding before softly hugging the snake to him. _~ Don't worry, I won't make the two of you go through that again. Can you let me up now? I still need to write a summary to Severus, to inform him about what we've found so far. ~_ Blaine nodded and loosened his hold in order to allow Harry to slip out.

He glanced at Draco, but the once-blonde man was already in bed, reading. He always did know when to move away to give him and his familiars some space, even if he didn't understand what they talked about. "I'm quickly going to write that summary for Severus. Is there anything specific you want me to add to the letter?"

Draco shook his head and Harry moved to sit down at the desk where a paper and a quill were already placed. He didn't have much progress to report, but they could use Severus to look into a few things.

 _Severus_

 _It's come to our attention that Argus Filch could possibly be considered an ally, but we will first look into it further. We haven't found anything else of importance yet, but we will keep you updated. Please alert Moony to this information as well. The link between my familiars and me is that of a blood bonded familiar link. I am certain you know what it means. Don't worry, it is a true bond as they were born on the same day and moment as I was, they just couldn't reveal themselves until the 'shadow' inside me had died._

 _Have you and Moony found anything interesting on your end?_

 _H and D_

Harry folded the letter and held it out to Leah who made it burst into flames. They had found out early on that the phoenix had the extra ability to teleport objects and people to wherever it wanted and it made it very easy for Harry and Draco to send letters without anyone intercepting them.

He moved back to bed after stroking Leah's head and this time Blaine had moved over enough so he could climb in without moving the snake. It didn't matter much though since Harry found the snake on top of him again as he settled into his pillows. He stroked Blaine's head as he heard a soft sound of breathing echo around the room.

Draco had put his book down and fallen fast asleep. Blaine looked up at Harry and Harry nodded. The silver snake finally allowed his inner eyelid to open and Harry was entranced at the sight of the thin cat like eyes. The black pupil stood out against the yellow of the iris and Harry found himself become lost as his entire world shifted to black.

 _ **Thank you for reading this fanfic…**_ _ **And a special thank you to those who follow it.**_


	14. Chapter 14 The Art of Fear

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **Chapter 14: The Art of Fear (Blaine)**

Blaine watched calmly as Harry's entire body went limp. He didn't know why the wizard had waited so long to perform the ritual, but he was glad the day had finally come. Leah flew down from her perch and placed a vial of what looked to be a phoenix feather in water, onto Harry's chest. The end of the feather was tinged with a slight amount of blood and Blaine nodded his understanding as he grabbed the vial between his jaws and disappeared from the world.

He knew that Leah would watch over them until the ritual was complete and he calmly made his way into Harry's dreamscape where Harry himself was waiting for him. The journey didn't take long and soon Blaine found himself slithering on dark nothingness as he made his way to Harry.

 _~ Sure took you long enough Blaine. Is Leah okay? I take it she is going to be keeping watch if that vial contains what I think it does. ~_ Blaine nodded before handing the vial and its contents over to Harry.

 _~ You know how she is, she doesn't want us to be in any danger. That vial contains all three phoenix elements that are needed. Are you sure you want to go through with this Harry? No wizard has ever dared to perform the ritual with one legendary beast, let alone mention two. It could tear your body apart and even if we are able to bring you back, you might find yourself robbed of all your magic. ~_

Harry smiled and nodded in anticipation. _~ How can I not want this if it will enable me to become an actual animagus? I didn't even know there was a difference between the animagus form a wizard creates by himself and the animagus form that a fate bound animal can offer. ~_

Blaine rose up so that he could look Harry straight into the eyes. If he had human eyes he'd roll them at Harry at this point, but he could understand the wizard's enthusiasm, mostly at least. _~ That's because nobody knows about the benefits of an animal that is bound by the same fate as a wizard. It also rarely happens. ~_

Blaine slithered closer to Harry. _~ Before we do this, however, I want you to promise me that you won't reveal any of the powers you gain to anyone unless we approve. If everything goes according to plan, you will find that every time you choose to transform into either your phoenix form or your basilisk form, it will be as if you were born that creature. And yes that means that we are going to have to teach you the finer points of behavior as well. ~_

Harry nodded seriously. _~ I understand. Such knowledge isn't safe in this world. So if it will be as if I was born a phoenix and a basilisk, does that mean my lifespan will increase as well? ~_

Blaine smirked slyly. _~ Yes and when you find your mate, theirs can be increased as well. ~_ The blush that crept up Harry's neck was very telling. He really hoped the boy will achieve full form where many wizards have failed, but he knew he didn't really have to hope too much.

 _~ The few witches and wizards who had the honor of performing this ritual in the past were unable to make it all the way to full form. Most of the time it was because their magic couldn't handle the entire transformation and they were left with only being able to change or substitute certain body parts. There is also the added risk that you won't be able to use the normal animagus forms you acquired if this ritual fails. But both Leah and I feel that you are ready and you have enough power to accommodate both our forms. ~_

Harry nodded and Blaine gave him a small squeeze around his wrist with one of his coils. The ritual was going to happen and it was going to work. Harry already had basilisk venom and phoenix tears in his veins and although it came from a different pair of creatures, it's consistency in harmony showed them that his body had been built to withstand it.

Once Harry was fully converted into a wizard with legendary creature blood that transcended both the darkest of dark and the purest of light, they will be able to teach him the knowledge of the ancient magicks. And he will be able to pass it on to those he deemed worthy, with the help of their guidance of course.

Blaine was glad he had warned Harry about all of this beforehand. But the boy had been worried that his boredom was the last excuse he wanted to use to start such changes. The basilisk grinned. Harry had certainly changed his mind fast enough when his mate was involved, even if Draco didn't know of his own status yet. It was one of Harry's personality quirks that sometimes had the ability to drive Blaine and Leah insane. Harry always put himself in danger to save others and he refused to do anything to protect himself unless it also involved protecting others.

He handed the vial containing the phoenix elements to Harry, then grimaced in pain as he reached back and pulled out one of his own scales. The scale, attached to a little bit of basilisk blood, was placed in a floating vial that Harry seemed to have created in his dreamscape and Blaine leaned forward to add his venom to the mixture as well.

Harry grabbed the second vial and closed it with a cork before he settled down into a meditative state as he held both vials. Blaine could feel his anticipation building as time seemed to slow down, but he waited patiently until Harry stirred again. By then the phoenix feather had dissolved into a liquid inside the phoenix tears and Blaine's own scale had dissolved within his venom. The only thing Harry had to do now was to drink both vials at the same time and Blaine had to keep himself from pushing away the vials from Harry's mouth as he placed them to his lips.

It was painful to allow Harry to do something that could potentially kill him and Blaine could sense that Leah was also having a really hard time restraining herself. Their instincts screamed that they shouldn't let Harry proceed with the ritual, but after a while, those instincts suddenly dulled. Blaine looked over at Harry, but he had to close his eyes again as Harry seemed to emit a silent scream of pain.

They had known that it would hurt. But the waves of pain rolling over Harry showed them that it hurt a thousand times more than what they predicted. Blaine tried to keep his head averted, but the waves of pain rolled off of Harry in magical bursts and Blaine could feel the savior's energy disappear from the world.

Fear and magic kept him rooted to the spot as his link to Harry were broken and Blaine could hear Leah's pained cry as their connection was cut off. Everything around them became silent and Blaine was horrified when he raised his head and realized that Harry had no magical power left in his entire body or mind.

Blaine tried to speak to him as his body was released but he knew that Harry wouldn't be able to understand him anymore. He slowly slithered closer to Harry in order to comfort him. Even if the boy didn't have his power anymore, Blaine made a vow to stay with him and in the back of his mind, he could hear Leah promising the same thing.

Blaine barely registered the fact that Leah had followed them into the dreamscape as he curled himself around Harry's waist. Leah went to stand in front of Harry before she threw her wings open and enveloped them both in the fiery feathers.

They sat that way for a while until a slight pulse of Harry's magic softly filled the room that the dreamscape had created. Blaine looked around them and he was shocked to find that Harry's magic was returning to its rightful place inside him.

The magic waves became stronger and stronger until both Blaine and Leah started feeling a slight pull on their energy. They gladly gave him their energy and Blaine saw Leah smile impossibly wide as she realized what had happened at the same time as he himself did.

Harry's magic had moved until he could correctly adapt to their magic and touching him seemed to have been the best decision they could have made. The connection helped their elements settle within Harry as they touched him and his power returned to his body only moments later when it accepted the change.

Blaine could only stare in amazement as he realized that their combined elements had even healed Harry's past scars and his magic now seemed much more formidable than it had been in the past. He had hoped it would happen, but seeing and feeling it, was a lot different from just imagining and hoping for it.

He immediately wanted to inform Harry of the development, but he kept his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to be the one to reveal the change to Harry, he also knew that it would be better if he found out about the changes on his own. Only then would Harry realize that he had so much more worth than what he could fathom and Blaine was sure that Leah felt the same.

Blaine looked at Leah and he could see that his emotions of relief were reflected in her eyes. For a moment both of them had thought that they had condemned Harry to an existence without magic and according to them (and Harry himself), it was a fate worse than death.

Not that they wanted Harry dead mind you, but they also knew that Harry would rather die than live without magic ever again. Blaine and Leah had blackmailed Harry without shame in the past until he'd told them about his past and both of them had made sure to pay the Dursleys a visit.

Harry hadn't known about it at the time and they had feared his reaction once he found out what they did. But eventually he did find out and both Blaine and Leah had been ready for him to reject them. They knew Harry had a kind heart and they also knew that he might not forgive them for acting out, even if it was to protect him.

They still kept their principles however and they refused to feel sorry for cursing the people who had been abusing their 'master'. In essence, they used the word loosely since Harry always treated them as equals and they were ready to give up on that as long as it brought some comfort to their beloved Harry.

They had expected uncontrollable anger when Harry found out that they had targeted his old family but instead Harry had dissolved into tears as laughter shook him at the thought of the Dursleys being forced to freely work as servants every time they were asked a favor.

The smile had only gotten bigger as they explained to him that the Dursleys were also unable to consume any food that he hadn't been allowed to eat while he had lived with them and as such, the only food that didn't dissolve to mud in their mouths were toast and occasionally eggs.

Blaine knew that Harry felt bad about the fact that he relished the thought of his 'relatives' experiencing anything bad, but everything had been settled once they explained their motives.

Even now as they looked at Harry to see if there were any other injuries, he surprised them by throwing his arms around them and holding them close. "I don't know if I have ever thanked either of you after the day we met, but thank you. You saved me and now you even trusted me enough to be able to take on your forms and live as one of your blood kin. I will never be able to thank you enough, but I will cherish this gift. Is there anything I can do to repay this favor?"

Harry's earnest face stared at Blaine after his speech and he felt himself becoming mush under that stare. _~ We do not wish for anything, other than being able to stay with you, Harry. We care about you and we would do anything to protect you. The only way you can repay us is to stay alive and safe. Yet we both know that that would be impossible for you to promise. ~_

Blaine and Leah snickered at the exasperated look on Harry's face. _~ Oh come on Harry, you are practically a danger magnet and everyone knows that. We are going to have to keep a sharp eye on you during this case and your enemies better beware. ~_ Leah nodded and rubbed her head against Harry's neck. Both Leah and Blaine were using Harry's lap as a chair while he sat cross-legged on the floor, but Blaine could see that Harry didn't mind their weight.

Harry smiled wryly. "Thank you for wanting to protect me, but please don't put yourselves in danger. Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Remus Lupin have promised to help me, even though this case was originally given to Draco. I may not have understood him during our years at Hogwarts, but I find that I made a lot of misconceptions during that time. I want to tell him that I am sorry, but I don't think he will forgive me for the ways I wronged him in the past, even though he really acted like a prat most of the time. The only thing I can do now is hope that he forgives me and that he is willing to create some sort of relationship with me."

Blaine hesitated for a moment before he slithered up Harry's arm and around his neck. _~ I know that we are not supposed to interfere, but I also know that the two of you kissed. ~_ Harry's eyes grew wide as he tried to think of an excuse, but Blaine just shook his head.

 _~ Draco cares for you, Harry. He is probably one of the only wizards we trust at this moment. He also has a fate-bonded familiar, but he doesn't know about it. It will be up to you to tell him about it and to teach him like we taught you. His parents thought they were protecting him during his coming of age ceremony, but they didn't. His familiar is stuck within a secret passage under Malfoy Manor and he doesn't even know about it since he's been muted to its call. We hear its pleas every time we are near him and we only dared to speak about it now since his familiar admitted that it can't hold on much longer. ~_

Blaine could see the wheels turning inside Harry's mind, but he knew that he didn't have to hope. He trusted Harry to never leave anyone in trouble if he could help to avoid it and Blaine fully supported this belief. Harry trusted Draco and if any familiar was in trouble, Blaine knew that Draco would charge in without even a moment's thought to his own safety, which seemed to be very different from the way Harry told them he would act in the past.

 _~ Come on, let's get out of here and inform Draco. Then we can get this little midnight rescue mission over and done with. I really can't wait to find out what Draco's familiar is. I can't think of anything that would suit him unless it's also part of the legendary creatures list like we are. But most of the creatures on the list are already either dead or in hiding. ~_

They willed themselves out of the dreamscape. It felt strange to see the darkness fade out until they were in the dorms once more. Draco was still asleep and Blaine looked around as a shimmering dome of magic covered the bed. _~ Thank you for shielding us, Leah. This room would have probably been a mess if you didn't. ~_

Leah just nodded and dissolved the shield before returning to her perch. Harry looked nervous as he moved to Draco's bed. He gently shook Draco's shoulder and Blaine had to stop himself from hissing in laughter. It's not like the boy was made of glass.

Harry shook his shoulder again. This time a little harder and managed to move away just in time as the undercover blonde shot up in his bed. He immediately looked around for danger, but when he found none, Blaine saw Draco's eyes come to rest on Harry who had abruptly stepped back, just in case Draco grabbed his wand and stunned him on reflex.

It was a strange reaction, but Harry had told them about Auror training and Blaine supposed that that was the reason Harry had been so careful about waking Draco up. It was really funny to see such a reaction, but it also made Blaine wonder how Harry had gotten rid of the habit. He never went directly into attack mode when they woke him.

Draco cast a tempus spell and groaned. "What the hell Harry? It's eleven-thirty. We have class tomorrow. What could be so important that you would wake me up at this hour? Couldn't it wait till morning?"

"Sorry for waking you up Draco, but there is something important that I must tell you. Blaine and Leah informed me earlier that they could hear your familiar when they are close to you but you don't seem to hear it at all. They think someone placed a block on the link."

Draco leaned back against the pillows and nodded. "I don't know if it's true, but it's possible. I knew there were some things that my parents were hiding from me. Tell me everything from the beginning and that includes the information on why your energy suddenly feels extremely scary."

 _ **Thank you for those who are reading this fanfic…**_ _ **And a special thank you to those who follow it.**_


	15. Chapter 15 To Play with Fire

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **Chapter 15: To Play with Fire (Draco)**

The one thing Draco hadn't expected when he was shaken awake was a changed Harry with a very intimidating aura. He knew nothing had visibly changed, but a deep survival instinct insisted on the fact that Harry had somehow gotten a lot stronger between the time he had fallen asleep and then got woken up.

He knew Harry always did the unpredictable, but this was just outrageous. He didn't even know how to categorize it on that chart, he only knew that it was placed on the top. Draco sat up and groggily glanced at Harry, but Harry's words about his familiar were soon recognized. In all honesty, he had known that his parents had been keeping something from him, but he had never bothered to ask since they always gave him whatever he wanted.

It didn't take long for him to realize that something had been missing though. When he met the 'great' Harry Potter, he had believed that the only thing that could cure him of his strange feelings of loneliness was if he was the hero's friend.

It would not surprise anyone to know that it hadn't worked, but he was glad they had the chance to be friends now. He saw Blaine creeping into Harry's lap and he was really surprised when he felt that their connection had deepened and it only took an instant for Draco to realize that Harry had actually been able to complete the familiar bond with a basilisk. A part of him wanted to jump up and shriek in outrage.

How did Harry manage these things? He always got what he wanted… well, actually he had to admit that Harry always got what Draco wanted without even trying. He wasn't jealous or anything, but Harry easily demolished the bar that had been set for what was normal and what was not.

He looked up at Harry and saw an eyebrow raised up in question. Oh… right. Harry was still waiting to see if he believed him or not. "Yes, I believe you, although I must admit that I will only truly believe it once I see it. I knew my parents had been keeping something from me, but I never bothered to find out what it was. Are we going to sneak out tomorrow and see?"

Draco knew it wasn't the one-time Gryffindor's style to wait so he mentally readied himself to get out of bed at what seemed to be an insane hour deep into the night. Truth be told, he didn't actually want to wait till tomorrow, but pure-bloods were never supposed to reveal when they really wanted something. It made it all too easy for someone to use the knowledge against them.

He knew he didn't need to act like that in front of Harry, but habits are hard to break. Luckily Harry knew him well enough by now, so he simply went over to his wardrobe and started getting dressed. Draco followed his example and it wasn't long before they were ready to go. Harry left his familiars in the dorm room since they would probably get spotted easily with them around. Draco had to hide his laugh behind a cough as both seemed to lecture Harry on staying safe. It seemed like Draco wasn't the only one that knew about the man's addiction to danger.

Both of them kept a shrunken broom in their trunks for in-case and Draco was relieved that they were finally going to be able to use them. He loved flying, but masquerading as a first year meant that they weren't allowed to fly on brooms yet, even though most pure-blood families trained their children to fly almost as soon as they could walk. But the tradition only required toy brooms with cushioning charms and a spell that forced the brooms to stay close to the ground.

They snuck out under the invisibility cloak towards the astronomy tower. None of the students knew this, but the tower was one of the few places in Hogwarts that weren't really monitored. It was one of the reasons why so many people decided to have their romantic conquests there since their magic simply sensed that it was safe to do so. Draco knew that they would be able to fly from the tower without alerting anyone to their departure.

It wasn't long before they were in the air and Draco had to stifle his laughter with a smirk as he raced Harry. Old habits really die hard Draco mused again as they increased their speeds. Both of them had a strong competitive streak and Draco was happy to see that Harry hadn't lost his. The sight of an incoming storm, barely registered to them as they flew into the clouds and to the atmosphere above them.

Of course, in retrospect, they should have monitored the extra magic power they had gained because it wasn't long before their brooms dived without warning. Draco felt panic overwhelm him as he realized that the broom in his hands was completely exhausted of any magic power it had moments ago. This meant that he had used more magic power than the broom had been able to absorb. He glanced to the side and saw that Harry was stuck in the same situation. When Draco reached for his wand it slipped from his hand as it hooked onto his cloak.

Draco felt pure fear grab hold of him as they plummeted towards the ground. He reached to the side to grab onto his partner, hoping that he would at least be able to protect Harry from most of the impact. He wasn't used to employing Gryffindor attributes, but he imagined that the gods would at least forgive him for most of his transgressions if he saved his friend.

It was a great idea and all, but Draco's eyes snapped open as he realized that he didn't feel Harry next to him anymore. His eyes confirmed his fears and he felt a feeling of dread shudder through him. Where did Harry go? A phoenix cry echoed through the skies and Draco thought that Leah must have rescued him.

Draco only hoped that she would rescue him as well even though the idea seemed slightly absurd. He was still hoping to be saved as his abrupt fall came to a quick stop though. Draco felt himself land on the back of something soft. The impact made him instinctively closed his eyes, but once he was sure that he wasn't falling anymore, Draco opened his eyes.

He couldn't hold back the gasp of surprise as he realized that he saw nothing underneath him and the only explanation, other than the fact that maybe the creature was invisible, was the thought that the entire creature seemed to be covered in pitch black feathers.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky near them and Draco saw that he was sitting on a huge bird. His relief was short-lived, however, as he suddenly realized that Harry wasn't on the giant creature with him. "Hey, we need to go back! My friend is still falling! We need to save him!"

Seconds ticked by, but the bird refused to change its course. Draco felt tears prick at the back of his eyelids, but he willed them away. He refused to leave Harry back there and if he had to force the giant bird to go back and help his friend, then so be it. It took him a few moments before he realized that he could hear Harry's voice.

"Why Draco, I didn't know you cared about me that much." Draco feared that he was losing his mind because of shock as he glanced around frantically trying to find the source of Harry's voice. It took him another moment to realize that the voice was actually coming from the bird, but his mind simply refused to believe it.

" _Well you better believe it otherwise I will drop you. Didn't you know phoenixes can read minds? It turns out they can speak telepathically as well. But, I will probably be in big trouble with Leah for revealing this to you without asking her permission first."_ He felt the phoenix beneath him chuckle at the thought.

Yep, either he was losing his mind or Harry really was transformed into the bird beneath him at the moment and he was speaking to him through telepathy. But wizards and witches shouldn't be able to transform into legendary creatures. There was a reason why they were called legendary and that is because nothing and no one is supposed to be able to mimic their powers.

Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head. Trust the bloody Golden Boy to destroy the legends of their kind piece-by-piece. Draco felt himself growl in good-natured annoyance. Year after year Harry had been able to pull off incredible stunts and he always got out alive, Draco really wondered where he got his luck from. But he wasn't willing to believe that the bird was Harry, just because of words alone.

" _Okay, if you really are Harry, then tell me what I was trying to do the year Dumbledore died."_ He knew it was a sore subject, but only Harry would know what had been happening throughout most of that year. And in the present circumstances, he really needed to figure out what was going on.

" _The year that conniving old man died, you were trying to find a way to get most of the Death Eaters into the castle without tripping the wards. It was also the year I found the Half-blood Prince's potions book and used that spell on you when I didn't know what it was actually going to do."_ Draco could hear that Harry had become resigned at the question, but he refused to feel sorry for asking since it proved that Harry had truly transformed into a shadow phoenix.

" _I told you I have forgiven you for that. I just wanted to make sure that you were actually who you said you were since I wouldn't know what I would do if I had lost my friend back there. Now would you kindly explain to me why you are a shadow phoenix when your familiar is clearly a light phoenix? I have read enough books to learn about true familiar bonds and as far as I know, the wizard usually is affiliated the same way as their familiar. Besides that, there hasn't been a shadow phoenix on this plane since they retreated back into the nether realm. The fact that shadow phoenixes were able to change their size in certain situations made them even more dangerous."_ He mentally heard a huff as Harry contemplated his words before glancing at himself.

Since the bond had probably only been completed tonight and Draco couldn't fault Harry for glancing around in shock at the news, but the realization that he had dropped his wand when they had fallen, made him suddenly panic and he didn't give Harry time to answer him back. _"Harry I dropped my wand back there! We have to go back... "_

Draco didn't manage to get any further as his wand was thrust into his hands. He looked down and saw that Harry had it in his beak the entire time. _"To answer your question about the fact that I look different from my familiar, I think it's because my magic became darker the longer I was a Horcrux and it didn't help that I had to use many dark spells during the war. The change kind of cemented my affiliation with most types of magic and that's why I can do dark magic without the threat of a backlash."_

Draco wanted to comment that it must feel great to be able to do that, but he realized though common sense that Harry had to give up most of his emotions in the process. In a way, it was a good thing, but living without emotions also meant that even though Harry might not be able to completely feel sadness or fear anymore, he was also probably unable to feel any or much happiness.

It saddened him, but he refused to tell Harry that. The man hated to be pitied and instead, Draco just promised himself that he would support him. If he couldn't feel then Draco would feel for him. The idea practically made Draco blush and he realized that he was acting extremely possessive. Their kiss had really scrambled his brain cells and he ached to repeat the memory whenever he was around Harry.

The sound of a deep growl tore through his mind and Draco was barely able to catch the strangled call for help before it was cut off. Instinct told him that he was hearing him familiar's call through Harry and he held on tighter. Harry seemed to feel the urgency of his grip because he picked up speed and raced towards Malfoy Manor.

Due to the speed, they were flying, it didn't take them long to reach the manor and Draco felt relieved when the wards allowed Harry to pass due to his presence. His family wouldn't know that he was even there so Draco and Harry immediately headed towards the unused wing of the manor, where the cries were coming from.

Draco jumped off as soon as Harry touched the ground and he barely gave Harry enough time to transform back before they were heading towards the basement. Draco had once been able to find it when he was little, but his parents had been able to find him before he had opened the door.

He knew beyond any doubt that his familiar was there as he tore the door open. The strength of the energy inside broke the blocks of his mind and because he was the Malfoy heir, it released the creature inside at the same time. A pained cry was torn from both of them as the shields and chains broke down and Draco found himself tackled by a mass of scales.

His breath escaped him as his shock finally subsided and he openly gaped at the small Dreq now curled up on his chest. He wondered if Harry's luck had decided to rub off on him as he looked closely at the dragon. In a way, he almost had to smirk at the thought that another name for a Dreq was Draco, but he was still too frozen to be able to fully take in the situation. It was only by luck that he actually realized what his familiar was. If the name hadn't caught his attention during his studies, he might have thought that his familiar was a normal dragon.

Instead, he immediately recognized the black opal gem that was situated on the dragon's forehead and he was left frozen in wonder. Dreq's weren't supposed to exist anymore due to the fact that wizards hunted them down for the rare gemstones they carried on their foreheads. The rarer a gemstone was the higher rank the Dreq had in its wyer.

Draco could easily determine by the black opal that his familiar would probably be equivalent to an alpha dragon if Dreq wyers were still around. His admiration was cut short though as a sudden cut on his hand made him yelp in pain. The little Dreq unceremoniously cut into its own palm with its nail as well and placed its wound against Draco's.

His mind calmed him as he realized that the Dreq was bonding with him and the power he felt surging around them, confirmed it. Harry must have placed a barrier around them, Draco thought vaguely as he realized that the energy never made it past a certain point and he was glad because it ensured that he didn't have to face his mother anytime soon.

Once the atmosphere settled around them, Draco realized that the Dreq seemed to be growing. An amused voice entered his thoughts as he contemplated this. _"Thank you for coming. I didn't know if I would have been able to hold on much longer. I assume your friend had something to do with the fact that you were finally able to hear me?"_ Draco nodded and the amused voice continued.

" _Thank him for me would you? And I have to point out that I am a fully grown Dreq. The only reason that I am this small is because I was cut-off from your magic. Since we are finally connected, I can return to my true form. That is unless you prefer this current form?"_ The dragon shifted around, waiting eagerly for his answer.

Finally, Draco was able to pull out of his numbed state and he was able to find his voice. _"Yes, my friend helped me to get here. Are you able to change your size at will? I realize that you seem to be the alpha in your group, but I don't think there are more of you anymore. Your kind is supposed to have been hunted to extinction so how were you able to find me and what should I call you? As to your other question… you can change sizes whenever you want."_

The Dreq contemplated for a while before he answered. _"You can call me Cyan. I can change my size when I need to and I am fully aware that I am a leader without a wyer. I stayed in my egg until it was time to find you since I knew that it would be dangerous if I ventured out of it any earlier. I thought I would receive a warm welcome from your parents when I finally revealed myself, but as you can see that did not happen. Your parents seemed to forget about me as time passed and I reverted to my newborn state in order to conserve energy."_

Draco nodded to Cyan to show that he understood and then he grimaced. He glanced at both Harry and then Cyan as he spoke. _"We should probably get out of here. My mother rarely comes back to the manor, but I can sense her. I may be the owner of the manor, but I don't feel like meeting her until she has at least some sort of explanation as to why she did this and we all know she doesn't. Besides, in our current forms, she would think that we're imposters."_

Harry and Cyan nodded before they made their way out and away from the manor. Harry changed back into his phoenix form and Cyan grew big enough for Draco to be able to climb onto his back. Soon they were airborne and headed back to Hogwarts.

 _ **Extra notes:**_

 _\- A Dreq is an Albanian dragon that translates into (Draco) proper. According to Wikipedia "it was demonized by Christianity and now is one of the Albanian names of the devil." - I chose the name since it was really interesting to see that it shared the same name as Draco. Since I couldn't find anything about how these dragon variants look like, I decided to create one._

 _\- A wyer is a group of dragons. People also call a group of dragons many other names like a flight of dragons or a wing of dragons, but this one suited me best._

 _ **Thank you for the review leopardblack, I was kind of stuck in the storyline, but your review had me so excited that I just had to write on! Thank you to those who are following this story, I am thinking of working on another story while I continue this one, so I will probably start posting it one of these days when I am finally happy with the storyline…**_


	16. Chapter 16 Unexpected Answers

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **Chapter 16: Unexpected answers (Harry)**

Harry found that he couldn't help but grin as he glanced at Draco. Glancing through the ritual's glamor, he could easily see the expression of pure joy as they streaked through the sky. Draco's familiar had thoroughly surprised even him as they had entered the room. Hermione had ranted about Dreqs for weeks when she learned about the fact that they had once existed within the wizarding realm.

Granted, he hadn't listened much at the time, but somehow the information had still been absorbed into his brain. Maybe repetitive learning really did work, he mused as he swooped low in his phoenix form. A part of him wasn't really surprised when he'd learned that Draco's familiar was a Dreq. They were extremely loyal creatures and they would demolish an entire planet if someone or something threatened those under their protection.

Harry's attention snapped into place as he registered a faint barrier and he quickly dove in front of Cyan to stop him from flying any further. Magical sensitivity was one thing phoenixes could brag about and unfortunately it was also one of the things Dreq's weren't talented at. Luckily Harry could project his message to both Cyan and Draco at the same time.

" _There is a barrier placed here! My guess is that it was created in order to keep Cyan inside, just in case you were able to find each other. I can easily break it, but your parents, who created the barrier, would immediately know if I did that."_

Draco immediately shook his head. "No, I am the head of the house now, so I will easily be able to break through any barriers my parents put up, without them knowing about it." The Malfoy heir seemed to think for a bit. "I can ensure that no one else within the household registers that there are two creatures with me as well, but they will probably try to sense the barrier once they remember about it and if they can't sense it then they will know that Cyan escaped."

Harry immediately chuckled at Draco's reasoning. "So I am classified as a creature then? Oh, what will your parents say when they hear that you have consorted with a creature? Aren't purebloods supposed to be pure?" The red staining Draco's cheeks immediately gave Harry his answer, but he was sure that Draco wouldn't give up his game yet, so when Draco just blushed and looked pointedly at the sky beyond the Malfoy estate, Harry just took it as a sign that this specific conversation would be postponed till later.

But instinct told him that he didn't have to wait till later. Unfortunately, it was one of the things that made the situations hard between him and Draco. He always wanted answers now, while Draco was always willing to give answers later. First, they had to get through the barrier undetected though. Harry considered his own abilities for a moment before coming up with a plan. "You know, I can just teleport us near the castle. I saw Fawkes do it once. Cyan and I will just have to shrink into our smaller sizes since I am pretty sure we don't actually want any students or teachers to notice us like this."

Draco nodded and they landed on the grounds of the Malfoy estate. Harry concentrated on taking the smallest form available to him and he was slightly shocked to see that he seemed to be the size of a teenage version of the phoenix. He tested his wings and he was glad to see that they were still strong enough for flight.

He looked at Cyan and was glad to see that the Dreq could shrink to the size of a medium sized lizard. "Wow, no wonder Dreq's can easily hide their forms and their presence. I don't know of any other creature that can become that small."

Draco turned to him and smirked. "Cyan says that only alphas have this extra skill. Because of the fact that they are weak in sensing magic, they use this form to hide when looking after their Wyer. The younger and less stronger ones can't hide so successfully so the alphas do it. When something or someone attacks the Wyer, the alphas can immediately take on their biggest forms and attack. He says that a Wyer contains more than one alpha and the alphas themselves have ranks of command."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that makes sense. I am going to grab hold of the two of you now. Cyan, make sure that you at least touch a part of me since I haven't fully heard about how this teleportation thing works."

Both Draco looked at him with slightly scared and apprehensive faces. Harry couldn't really blame them for it when he was feeling the same, but he couldn't keep himself from blushing because of the stares. "Don't worry, it's instinctual for a phoenix to be able to use their powers even though I was born a wizard, I am technically a real phoenix at the moment."

Harry flew over to land on Draco's shoulder and he saw Cyan scurrying into the folds of Draco's robe before he put one tiny clawed paw on Harry's feathered leg. He chirped in laughter as he saw the death grip that the tiny Dreq had on both him and Draco's robes. _"Don't worry Cyan, I won't drop you or Draco."_

Both Draco and Cyan nodded and Harry flapped his wings experimentally. He was glad to see that he could easily lift them before he settled down again. He wanted to make sure that he could carry them in the event that he somehow managed to teleport them to a dangerous place and with his luck, anything was possible.

Harry took a deep breath before looking inside himself to find the acquired magic for teleportation. When he felt it rising up around him, he looked at Draco and Cyan. _"Relax your bodies but hold on tight. If you don't trust me then you will be left behind."_ Both of them nodded their heads as expressions of determination crossed their faces.

Black feathers circulated around them before shadow fire swallowed them whole. The exchange was instant and Harry felt the feathers and flames disappear as Draco's feet touched the ground. He immediately looked around, but he only saw shelves filled with potions. The other end of the room held a huge desk with a few books that line the wall behind it. Only two places at Hogwarts contained a room full of potions like this and that meant they were either in Severus' rooms or in the infirmary. Draco seemed to easily recognize it as the infirmary since he spent so much time in his godfather's rooms. He changed back into his human form before looking around the room once more.

"Really Harry the infirmary? I guess only you would think of a place like this when you spent so much time here when we were students. Did you know… hmmph!" Harry quickly covered Draco's mouth as he heard footsteps and voices nearing their location. He knew that they would have some explaining to do if Madam Pomfrey found them, so they would have to hide instead.

The footsteps came closer and Harry silently dragged Draco into a walk-in cupboard he had once seen when he visited her office. He had just shut the door when the office door opened and a male and a female voice entered the room. Harry was shocked to hear that Madam Pomfrey was speaking to none other than the new minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt. He looked at Draco and saw that his face mirrored Harry's own in shock.

"What is it you want me to do minister? You basically created a dangerous situation that doesn't exist, just because you want to test both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter. Yes, I know it got Potter out of his self-imposed exile, but what do you think is going to happen when those boys find out what you did? You are going to lose both of them because of this silly charade, so explain to me why you couldn't just give them the standard test that the other Aurors received?"

Pomfrey huffed in anger and annoyance. "I know I am doing this because I owe you a favor, but you basically set the boys up for a mission that they have no hope to complete within two months and what then? Are you going to remove them as candidates for the Head Auror's position, just because you don't want to lose your hold on them? You know they won't be able to share the position even if you gave it to them and Potter would immediately hand the position over to Mr. Malfoy anyway since he doesn't want to be part of the ministry anymore. So I ask again. What is it you want me to do?"

Kingsley looked around and locked the door with a wave of his wand and Harry rolled his eyes. " _He should have done that before Madam Pomfrey started her rant."_ Harry felt like he wanted to barge into the room in outrage and he could see that Draco was fighting against himself to do the same. They had not expected the mission to be a fake, but instinct told them both to wait until they received the entire story.

"The reason I selected you for this test Poppy, is because I am implementing some changes at the ministry and I need time to ensure that these changes are done right. I am willing to do anything that would ensure that neither Draco Malfoy nor Harry Potter can leave their positions as Aurors because they are simply too strong to be allowed to do whatever they want. They may have had a great hand in finishing the second war, but their power can easily corrupt them and we can't allow another dark lord to rise. That is also why they will never receive the position of Head Auror." The frustration in Kingsley's voice was clear.

Harry felt his anger boil over and he was about to confront the minister when an angry screech filled the air. They clearly felt Madam Pomfrey's magic rise up around them in equal anger, if not greater. "Kingsley Shacklebolt, do YOU know how much those boys have given up for the wizarding world?! They lost family and friends in a war that children of their age shouldn't have had to participate in, in the first place and now you want to manipulate them just because they are two of the strongest wizards alive today?"

A scrape could be heard as a chair was moved and Harry was surprised at the deadly tone that now resided in the mediwitch's voice. "I refuse to be a part of this. Get out of my office! I will tell both boys the truth when I find them and I will make sure they resign before you can implement that little plan of yours. They deserve to live their own lives and they will never, and I will repeat it, NEVER become dark lords."

A second scrape was heard and Harry could hear that the two voices were practically toe-to-toe with each other. Kingsley's voice was threatening as he cast a stunning spell at Madam Pomfrey before he spoke. "Stupefy! Then I guess I will just have to Obliviate you and get it over with. I will not allow anyone to mess with my plans. I would have loved to think that we could work together to ensure the safety of the wizarding world, but it seems I was mistaken. Oblivi-…"

Harry moved quickly as he jumped out of the cupboard and Draco seemed to have a similar mindset as they both cast Expelliarmis at the minister, who was knocked back by the impact. They released the mediwitch from the spell and Madam Pomfrey immediately directed her wand onto Kingsley and cast a binding and a sleep charm as she looked at the boys. Something seemed to click in her mind and she stared at them in shock before speaking slowly. "Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter I believe?"

They both nodded and her shoulders sagged in relief. "I assume that both of you heard enough to be able to testify against Mr. Kingsley here?" When they nodded again, she smiled and cast a Patronus. A lioness jumped from her wand and Harry couldn't help but think that it fit her perfectly. She did protect her patients like a lioness protects her cubs after all.

"Tell Head Auror Tonks to please meet me in my office. It has to do with Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy." The Patronus nodded and sped away. She looked at them again and Harry couldn't help but feel like a bug under a telescope. "I would have loved to inquire how the two of you were able to take those forms, but I have a feeling that I don't want to know."

Draco and Harry looked at each other and smirked. "No, I don't think you would like to know ma'am. Thank you for standing up for us though. We really didn't know that the minister was planning something like this and it's a wonder that he waited until now to try it." Harry felt anger course through him as he glanced at the unconscious minister. People were always trying to manipulate him and he was tired of it, but what angered him more was the thought that the minister wanted to trap Draco as well.

The fireplace inside the room flared briefly and Nymphadora Tonks stepped out. Her shocked expression told Harry everything as she surveyed the occupants of the room and he knew without a doubt that she had nothing to do with the charade. She greeted them and it didn't take long for them to explain the situation. She nodded grimly before transfiguring some vials.

"Could I trouble the three of you to each place a memory of what happened in one of these vials? That way you won't be required to attend the hearing since you have already explained the situation to me as well." They nodded and placed the memories into the vials. It didn't really surprise them when Tonks did the same. She always was thorough in her investigations and never missed a detail if she could help it.

She looked at Harry and Draco. "I would suggest that you write your resignation forms immediately if you want to resign. I will accept them and file them once I get back to the ministry. It might be completely boring without the two of you there, but I refuse to let anyone manipulate friends of mine like this. Although I would love to know the spell you used to change your appearances to such a degree."

Harry glanced at Draco who only quirked one eyebrow before he looked back at Tonks. "I might tell you one day." He winked at her before turning to Madam Pomfrey who had already gotten him and Draco each a parchment and a quill. They quickly filled the letters with their reasons for resignation before folding the letters and handing them to Tonks. She nodded in thanks and tucked them away.

Harry looked at Tonks as she levitated the minister towards the fireplace. "Are you sure no one will be able to make us come back? What are you going to do about this whole scheme he made?" Tonks paused and thought for a moment before looking Harry directly into his eyes.

"I will make sure that they won't be able to do anything without consent from the two of you and Kingsley might have to step down from his post. No one will ever be able to trust a minister that would manipulate his people as he just tried to do. It is also very illegal to obliviate someone unless it's for medical purposes and even then there is a lot of red tape to go through."

Tonks sighed. "I can't believe that he would try something like this, he was once such a great man and now fear seems to have reduced him to this. Instead of calling on you to help him, he has made enemies of not just two of the strongest wizards I have ever seen, but also the ministry itself. If word got out on how he tried using his status to force another's hand, the entire ministry would be done for."

She looked at them as she stepped into the fireplace with her burden. "I would ask that the three of you stay quiet about this. I promise that if things get out of hand then I will make the story public, but until then please keep it to yourselves. I suggest the two of you figure out what you want to do now that you don't work for the ministry anymore."

Harry nodded before speaking. "Well, we probably should reveal ourselves now that the 'threat' is gone. It's not really fair for us to be in any of the classes since we already completed our Hogwarts education, although I must say, it's nice to go to classes without everyone freaking out about 'Harry Potter' being at Hogwarts."

Everyone including Harry grinned at the thought. Tonks gave him a brilliant smile. "Yes well, no one would blame you if you stayed undercover for at least a little while longer. I'm pretty sure you have some loose ends that need to be tied, so I suggest you make use of whatever ritual or spell you used to take care of it."

Harry, Draco and Madam Pomfrey nodded their goodbyes as Tonks and Kingsley were enveloped by flames. Harry looked at Draco. "She was right about the few loose ends. Are you going to join me?" A minute or two passed after he asked the question and Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Maybe Draco didn't want to be in his company any longer than he absolutely had to. It was probably crazy of him to assume that Draco liked him after that kiss.

Harry was about to tell Draco that he had only been joking when Draco suddenly hit him over the head. "Stupid Potter, I can practically see your mind going a million miles an hour, coming up with all the wrong scenarios and conclusions. Of course, I will help you. Who else will be able to deduce things as good as I can?"

Harry smiled in relief and they made their way to the door, unlocking it before they walked out. Madam Pomfrey tried to accompany them to their dorms, but both boys assured her that they would be able to make it by themselves and they bid her a good night. They walked slowly as they contemplated everything that had happened in the few hours they had been gone. They made it into their common room without any problems and headed straight to bed. As much as they immediately wanted to let Severus and Lupin know about what had happened, they knew that contacting them at the present ungodly hour would only send the pair scurrying into their chambers in fear and anger.

"We probably wouldn't get off without a scolding if we contacted them now," Draco said and Harry nodded. "We'll go see them tomorrow. We also need to go see what exactly Filch is up to since we have to make sure that he isn't trying to endanger any of the students. Then we will probably have to reveal ourselves to Jean and Theo before we reveal ourselves to the rest of the school. It wouldn't be fair to them if they found out with everyone else."

Harry was surprised that Draco would even think of including Jean and Theo, but it made him happy and so he agreed. "I'm with you there, but what are we going to do now? I mean, even though both of us can pretty much spend the rest of our lives living the high life, I am sure that we would lose our minds in no time at all." Draco nodded while unconsciously pulling Harry towards his bed.

"Uhm Draco? Why are we heading to your bed?" Draco smirked at him warily before casting a spell to exchange their clothes for pajamas. "We're going to sleep on my bed because there's a pair of familiars snuggled up on your bed and they probably wouldn't like it if you were to disturb their sleep so deep into the night., seeing as you would have to move them in order to make enough space for you to lie down."

Harry looked at Draco's bed apprehensively. As much as he wanted to snuggle up to Draco, they still hadn't really talked about the kiss and their possible feelings for one another. Add to that, the fact that they will only take on their original forms when they reveal themselves to the school and you get the whole problem of still being stuck in their 11-year-old disguises. Harry didn't want to reveal his own feelings until they were back as they were. He wanted to kiss Draco when he was permanently back into his original form and not just fighting to keep the glamor forms at bay.

He glanced at Draco as they headed towards the bed and his thoughts suddenly calmed. Both he and Draco were too tired to do or even talk about anything further. Hopefully, they would finish the loose ends by tomorrow and then he can make plans to talk to Draco tomorrow night. Nodding to himself, Harry missed a step and practically fell into Draco's arms.

The two laughed tiredly as they got into bed and Harry felt himself blush as he was pulled into Draco's arms. One glance told him that Draco was already asleep a few seconds later and Harry lay back even further with a grin on his face. Their problems could wait for tomorrow he decided as he felt himself drift off into a deep sleep.

No one noticed the spider crawling out of Harry's robes that had been discarded on the floor. Charms and spells usually kept out insects, but this wasn't your everyday insect. A faint mist swirled around the spider as it made its way under the door and into the common room. From there it escaped through a window, intent on telling its friends what he had found.

 _ **Thank you for those who are reading this fanfic…**_ _ **And a special thank you to those who follow it.**_

 _ **\- Before anyone asks, no this is not where the fanfic ends, this is actually where it begins.-**_


	17. Chapter 17 Unknown Enemies

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy" - Yeah I know it's weird. I intended to make telepathy bold, but it would probably confuse everyone if I were to change it now since not many read the pre-text._

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **Before anyone reads this, I just want to say that I am extremely sorry for the late update, things have just been extremely hectic since it seems like we are thinking about moving to another country. I really love South Africa and all that, but sometimes it's best to remember a place the way it was when the place still made sense.**

 **This chapter might seem a bit confusing, but I am admittedly going for a deranged and obsessive character type here, so I am trying to fit the way of thinking, to the behavior of the character. In all honesty, I think this chapter would work out better if I was drunk, but anyone who ever tried to write a chapter while being over the limit would know that it's really hard to write something that makes sense when you get to that point.**

 **Chapter 17: Unknown enemies (?)**

The spider made its way through the Slytherin dorms. He waited for someone to open the door and wasn't very surprised when the students turned out to be Jean and Theo. The two never seemed to sleep and the animagus wondered which prank or trap they had set and where. He made a mental note to be extra careful when he walked around the next day.

He dodged their feet and scurried out before the door closed again. It was thrilling to know that he could evade anything and everything in his animagus form since nobody thought twice about seeing a spider crawling around. He had a free pass to go where he wanted when he wanted to and he knew he could even sneak into the headmistress' office if he was so inclined.

Fortunately for her, he knew that she would never partake in any underhanded schemes like Dumbledore would have. It was actually sad to know that he had missed that chance by two years. But it didn't matter anymore; his family would finally be able to make a name for themselves with the newest developments once he informed them. His friends had laughed when he received his form, but he had soon proven to them that the form was very necessary. Nowadays they only stared at him in awe at the fact that he could get in almost anywhere he wanted.

He made his way to the Owlery and took on his student form. His father would be very happy to hear about what he had just learned. Not only would they be able to get back at the Ministry, but they would also be able to use Harry Potter to do it. With the Minister being charged, they would easily be able to make use of the chaos that will ensue once the news got out.

With the letter written, the student made his way to a small barn owl. "Here Shea, take this to my father will you? Make sure you use the secret route, I don't want anyone other than my father to read it." The owl cooed softly as he attached the letter to her leg and he stroked her head one last time before she took off.

The restlessness he had been feeling for the past couple of weeks, gave way and he allowed himself to smile evilly at the turn of events. The sound of shuffling footsteps minutes later shocked him out of the happy high he had fallen into and he quickly took his animagus form once again.

He made sure to crawl into a crack before the owls saw him and he peeked out as he heard the shuffling come closer. As always, Filch had a nose like a bloodhound and the animagus was sure that he was able to detect any and all students that decided to wander around after hours.

The thought spooked him a bit, but he shrugged it off. No, Filch just had the ability to be at the right place at the right time or in the minds of the students, the wrong place at the wrong time. It would have been great if they could have gotten Filch on their side, but the idea was chucked out before it could form much further.

Not only would they not be able to trust him, but he would probably run to the headmistress almost immediately and that would not do. The student watched as Filch exited the Owlery again and he made a point of keeping close to the man just in case the birds spotted him before he got out.

Once they were away from the Owlery, the student swiftly made his way to the Hufflepuff dorms. It felt great to be a snake amongst a bunch of badgers. He made sure that nobody knew that he should have been in Slytherin and that the hat put him in Hufflepuff instead. At first, he did it just because he didn't want the stigma of being placed in Slytherin and the hat immediately refused to put him in Gryffindor while claiming that he also wasn't smart enough to be placed into Ravenclaw either. He hadn't really wanted to agree, but one could only defy the hat once before it placed you in a house whether you liked it or not. The only house the hat had left open to him, was Hufflepuff.

He was angry about it for a while, but then he realized that no one really paid any attention to the students of Hufflepuff. He was able to easily spy on the other houses and they all thought that he was just being protective. Nobody saw the evil glint in his eyes as he gathered the secrets of those around him.

It was only a matter of time before he had enough blackmail to turn the entire school, or at least his entire house, against his intended targets. All he had to do was to wait for whatever plans his father would make and he would be sure to perform his part to perfection.

He was a little worried and apprehensive that Draco Malfoy was clearly on Harry Potter's side. He hadn't expected that, but he was sure that Draco was just doing it because he had his own underhanded plans. The student wasn't planning on going against his idol. He grinned mentally as an idea started to form. Maybe he could get Draco to help him bring Potter down? He'd seen the lust in the man's eyes when Potter had spoken about the ritual and the student realized that Draco probably wanted to get his hands on the information.

Everyone knew that Draco had been crushing on Potter for years and he might just help them if they promised him Potter in return. It would be a heavy blow to not be able to get back at the 'savior', but being a slave to your worst enemy could be ranked as the greatest torture ever.

The idea swam around in the head of the animagus and he decided that the plan actually had value. He was sure that his family would agree and Draco might even allow them to practice a few spells on Potter in compensation.

He thought about it for a bit as he snuck into his dorms and changed back. Firstly he would have to keep an eye on Draco to see if he could be trusted. He didn't want to make any moves that could land his group in any trouble. And secondly, he didn't want to get in the way of his idol if Draco was plotting to bring Potter down. They would just have to learn about his plans before they did anything to mess it up.

It wouldn't be easy, but both he and his father would easily see that it would be a lot better if they had the Malfoys working with them instead of against them. Who knew? Maybe he could become Draco's new best friend since Blaise and Pansy were now happily married and living in Australia.

He hadn't bothered to worry about the information at first, but the student decided that it was probably one of the reasons Draco became an Auror. It would be plausible to think that Draco would go undercover to get revenge on his rival. The blonde's friends probably didn't see the genius of the plan that Draco was secretly concocting and as such, the animagus wondered if Draco had even told his friends anything.

The animagus also had to think about what would happen on the off chance that Draco was actually trying to convert Potter to the darker side of magic. The thought gave the boy chills just thinking about it.

No one on the dark side had actually believed in the prophecy as much as they were supposed to. In all honesty, they had just wanted their world to change. Important family values were being lost because the Ministry seemed to put more stock into integrating muggle-borns than upholding the history of the pure-bloods and the nobility simply refused to accept it.

The boy stalked around in his room a bit. If they could get Potter on their side as well, then maybe they would be able to impact the world on a much larger scale. The animagus hated to admit it, but Potter was a really powerful Wizard and someone that powerful would be better utilized as either a mindless slave or an ally.

The student quickly showered and then climbed into bed. As much as he wanted to contact his friends, he couldn't do that until the next morning. From the sound of things, Potter and Draco were going to reveal themselves soon, it worried him a bit, but he also saw it as an opportunity.

Potter would get lulled into a sense of false security now that the 'mission' was done. The only thing the hidden animagus had to do now was to wait for the two to reveal themselves before his plan could be implemented. If he had to be honest with himself, he knew that Potter would need to be persuaded and the only way they could urge him to talk to them, would be to kidnap one of his closest family or friends.

All he had to do was to take one of the most important people in Potter's life and the man would come running whenever they needed him. Draco would be out of that equation of course. He wouldn't even dare to try and kidnap his idol. Although… that could end up being extremely interesting if he didn't already know that he would come out on the losing end in that fight. If Draco weren't on their side, as much as he didn't want to believe that such a thing was possible, then maybe they would keep The Boy Who Lived as a trophy slave; it would actually be a shame if they just outright killed him. The man would be very useful later on and the student couldn't wait to see how they could use his fame and power.

He was sure that Draco would be pleased to have Harry Potter as a slave though, so he refused to think to use him like that until it was absolutely necessary and if Draco didn't conform to their plans, well he could think of numerous ways in which he could persuade the man to help them.

 _ **Sorry for the short chapter, can't really say much more unless I want to completely reveal the character, which will be OC.**_

 _ **I will be publishing the first chapter of another story tonight, it's called**_ _ **The Odd Combination of Fate and Humor**_ _ **and hopefully, I will also be able to finish another chapter of this story as well.**_


	18. Chapter 18 Kits and Caretakers

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy" - Yeah I know it's weird. I intended to make telepathy bold, but it would probably confuse everyone if I were to change it now since not many read the pre-text._

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 18: Kits and caretakers (Draco)**

Draco could feel a slight ache in his arm and shoulder as he woke the next day, but Harry looked so relaxed in his arms that he didn't dare to move. He tried and failed to keep the smug smile from forming at the idea that he had actually been able to get Harry to sleep in his arms.

Frankly, he was glad that they would be able to take on their original forms today. All of the Gryffindors and most of the Slytherins, (excluding Jean and Theo of course) really needed a wake-up call if they were going to stop more dark lords from appearing. Not everything would be solved so easily though, but it would lessen the bullying and enable students to make friends whom they could trust.

Draco hadn't been too happy about the idea at first, but Harry mentioned a lot of things that have been happening in their world over the years and Draco had been shocked to find that most problems stemmed from the fact that Slytherins were seen as evil and Gryffindors were seen as good.

 **-Flashback of Harry speaking-**

 _ **Harry and Draco had been studying together (In a free period, a few hours before the confrontation between Severus and Remus). They weren't really able to keep their attention on their books due to the lack of sleep and this led to them talking about the problems within Hogwarts instead.**_

 **-** _ **"…Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, on the other hand, are able to mostly blend in and hide their schemes in the shadow of the other two houses. Just because people tend to think that Ravenclaws mostly study and Hufflepuffs are too loyal to do anything bad, this doesn't mean that they aren't dangerous. Ravenclaws could come up with elaborate schemes to take over the Wizarding world without fighting if they wanted to and Hufflepuffs could actually choose which causes they were loyal to."**_

 _ **Draco had been surprised that although he was a Slytherin, he had neglected to think that way. "In fact, Hufflepuffs can decide that they are only loyal to those in their house instead of the school and this means that they can already count as an army on its own. Both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff have strong witches and wizards in their ranks and they easily hide them because people simply assume that strong light wizards are placed in Gryffindor and any evil or strong dark wizards are placed in Slytherin."**_ **-**

 **-End of Flashback-**

It had actually opened Draco's eyes quite a bit. People tended to punish those who are and have been in Slytherin, much more harshly than they would punish anyone from the other houses and the label of 'possible dark lord' was given to any and all students in the Slytherin house even if they were just trying to get good academic grades.

Draco glanced down at Harry again, but he let out a silent gasp when he realized that the other boy was awake. He knew that he had been broadcasting all of his emotions on his face and he tried to pull his mask back on, but Harry shook his head and laid his head on Draco's chest before softly murmuring.

"You don't have to hide behind a mask in front of me you know? I always read the emotion in your eyes." Draco absentmindedly dragged Harry closer to him and he allowed the emotions to take over his face once again.

It was much harder to consciously reveal his emotions than it was to hide them, but Draco found that it helped a lot when he just relaxed. He glanced towards Harry's bed and chuckled when he saw Cyan cuddled up with Blaine and Leah. The Dreq slightly opened his eyes before sliding them closed again and cuddling closer to the other two.

He felt Harry following his gaze and he instinctively knew that Harry was smiling when he spoke. "It seems like we are going to have to switch beds from now on." Draco felt his heart beat fast at the thought of having Harry in his bed every night and he blushed when he heard the smug chuckle that escaped from the other boy.

Harry burrowed closer to him and hugged their bodies together. "We should probably get up. We still need to tell Jean and Theo about our plans today." Draco groaned in response and trapped Harry against his body instead.

"I don't want to get up and you can't make me now go back to sleep. We can skip classes today and talk to them tonight." To put action with words, Draco subtly grabbed his wand and pointed it at Harry with a smirk while pinning him. Harry just shook his head in amusement. Draco felt happy to know that Harry actually trusted him enough to point his wand at him despite their past.

What he didn't count on was the fact that Harry would have a trick up his sleeve and he only had a moment to bask in his triumph before Harry disarmed him from his wand with a wandless spell and threw him off the bed. Draco landed on the floor and when he scrambled to get up; he found that he was tangled up in his blanket.

Harry landed on top of him and pinned his hands while laughing. "You know, if you didn't want to get up, you could have just told me, but you forgot one thing. The sooner we can tell Jean and Theo, the sooner we can reveal ourselves in the Great Hall and then we will be able to do what we want."

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. He really wanted to see Harry in his original form again, but he was afraid that they might go back to their old lives again when that happened. The mission and their forms wouldn't tie them together anymore and although Harry had kissed him, he was unsure whether the other man would even want a relationship.

Harry seemed to be able to follow his thoughts and Draco was startled when he felt the boy's lips against his own. It was a chaste kiss that ended too fast in his opinion but he didn't mind. What really mattered were the words Harry spoke after the kiss.

"To be honest Draco, I won't be able to go back to how we were in the past even when we return to our original forms. I care about you too much and I don't want whatever is between us to end. I want to surprise you with something tonight and I won't be able to set it up if we spend the day in bed. We have a lot of things we need to do before the day is over, but I promise you that tonight will be worth it."

Draco felt his breath catch and he nodded. Harry got off of him and untangled him from the bedding. His mind ran a hundred miles per hour as he tried to figure out what Harry could have planned. When he got out of the shower Harry teased him that he could practically see his brain smoking from all the thinking, but even when he asked the man for hints it was ignored.

Draco had to admit that the man had really given him a reason to finish up in record time and it wasn't long before they had cornered Jean and Theo in the common room. A few silent spells ensured that they would not be bothered or overheard and Draco smirked when the two men looked like they had been found out during one of their pranks.

He left the talking to Harry and settled back to see how the two boys would react, but before they could speak, Jean put up a hand to silence them before he spoke. "If this is about the true identities that we suspect you are hiding, then you don't need to say anything. We already figured it out."

Draco and Harry felt worry course through them at the admission and they both tensed, but Theo and Jean just laughed. "Theo and I both knew who you were the moment we met you. You might not have had you original forms but you are our idols and we have been a little obsessive over the two of you in the past. Besides, we personally saw your mannerisms while at school so even though we didn't approach you, we knew you quite well. It did throw us for a loop to see the two of you willingly working together though."

Draco looked at Harry while Harry looked back. It didn't sit well with either of them that they had stalkers without knowing it. Draco usually knew about the people who followed him, but both Jean and Theo had stayed under both their radars. He wished that he could drag Harry back to the room to talk about the new information, but he didn't want Jean and Theo to know that they had rattled them so he slightly pushed Harry behind him and crossed his arms over his chest while glaring at them in a true Malfoy fashion.

The only way out of the current situation would be to play it cool. "Good, if you know who we are then you also must know what we came here to talk to you about." He slapped on the famous Malfoy arrogance for extra measure and the two men looked at each other before looking back at Draco and Harry sheepishly.

Theo threw an arm over his friend's shoulder before he spoke. "Sorry, we don't know why you came to see us. Jean comes over a bit too strong sometimes with the way he says things. We didn't stalk you while you were at school or anything; we just took notice when you did things out of character. We usually observe a lot of things when we want to prank someone and it ended up becoming a skill. Since everyone's focus was mostly on you, we learned to read you as well and this meant that we always had a prank planned when things went from bad to worse."

Jean tried to interrupt, but Theo silenced him with a shake of his head before continuing. "Most people focused on the two of you during school and we realized that you acted specific ways when something was about to happen or has happened. We would wait a day or two until your latest escapade reached us, then we would strike."

Both boys grimaced and Draco could see that they were wondering whether it was a good thing that they had admitted to doing the things they did. They didn't catch the smile that was exchanged between Draco and Harry. The two pranksters would make great allies.

The boys tried to keep the hope out of their eyes as the silence stretched, but Draco saw them nonetheless. He was pretty sure that Harry had also recognized it, but he wasn't taking any chances. The problem now was that they had to test the boys once more before allowing them to pass through.

Harry looked at him and Draco nodded his confirmation. He knew what Harry actually wanted to know. Jean and Theo were good students, but they didn't exactly know what drove them during their pranks. The few they knew about were harmless and the pranks always happened when people needed to lighten up or laugh.

The possibility that a few darker pranks could have been pulled in secret, weren't ruled out, since the victims of the pranks would probably never reveal themselves unless they absolutely needed to and all the teachers, including Madam Pomfrey, were forced to keep the information secret when they had to use a counter-curse or medicine.

Draco turned to the two jokesters and smiled. "So if you had to prank someone who has been bullied, how would you go about it?" He knew that they could try to form their answer around either light or dark magic and due to the fact that it is Draco who is speaking to them, there was a good chance that they might choose dark as an answer. He was happy to see that Jean and Theo instantly grimaced, but they looked at each other before turning their gazes back to Draco and Jean looked him straight in the eye as he spoke.

"We refuse to prank someone who has been bullied unless it can cheer them up. We do a lot of research on the people we prank, firstly to find out whether our pranks would harm them mentally or physically and secondly to find out what the best prank would be. When we come across someone who has been bullied, we change our targets to the bullies instead, but even then we do extensive research to find out why the bully is acting like that. Some people bully because they are or were being bullied in turn."

Draco nodded and he could see with relief that Harry was smiling. It was really nice to see the boy so happy, but he turned back to the pranksters before he could get the urge to kiss him again. "Well, you passed the test. The story of why we are really here will have to wait until after our announcement and I hope we can count on the two of you to help us."

Both Jean and Theo nodded eagerly, but Theo had a thoughtful expression on his face. "So what is it that you actually want us to do? Did you have some specific entertainment in mind while you revealed yourselves?" Draco smirked at this. If there was one thing that the snakes in Slytherin could pick up easily on, it would be a little thing called opportunity.

Their house thrived on social connections and viewpoints and both pranksters could see that they could gain quite a few things by helping and being part of the revealing. Draco looked at Harry who smiled and then nodded. He contemplated how to use the offer and an idea started to form.

"Would you be able to spread the news that something very interesting is going to happen this morning? It would work a lot better for everyone to be present in the Great Hall for the announcement instead of people hearing it from each other. Alternate stories spread too easily that way."

Jean and Theo agreed at Draco's words and Harry sighed. "You can spread the word through owls or prank letters but don't go too overboard. I know it's hard since there are so many imbeciles in this school, but please keep your better pranks for when they are needed. Most people will probably show up because they think you have some grand prank planned, but you will have to disillusion yourselves in order to keep the teachers from trying to stop you. We all know how they are."

Jean thought for a moment before he spoke. "We have a new invention that would be very helpful for sending the news to everyone and I think I have an idea for how we can make your reveal very interesting." He turned to Harry. "Would you mind if we used one of those muggle box tricks?" Harry grinned and shook his head.

"No I don't mind if we use one of those for the reveal, in fact, that's a brilliant idea! Do you already had the box or will you transfigure it?"

Theo laughed. "We already have the box. Jean might be a pureblood but he has an interest in muggle magic since they can do it without having magic. It took him a year to learn all the tricks and most of the students at Hogwarts will probably be able to recognize it, they just wouldn't know what we would do with it."

Draco smirked. "Well if it's flashy then maybe it won't be so bad if we used it. You must just make sure to make it big enough. Now there is one thing that we kind of forgot about. There were confused looks all around him and he sighed. "How are we going to keep the teachers from stopping the magic show? We can't tie them up somewhere."

Harry nudged Draco before speaking. "Draco and I will be able to place a shield charm that will keep the teachers seated once they are in their seats. This means that we need to reveal the show, only after all the teachers have sat down. This will be our farewell prank. What do you think?" The pranksters grinned widely.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Jean and Theo raced back to their bedroom to get everything ready and Harry turned to Draco and took his hand before dragging him out of the castle until they were near the forbidden forest. This confused Draco until he saw that they were following Filch.

He understood that Harry didn't want anything dangerous near the castle and so he followed him silently. Filch walked until he was just inside the Forbidden Forest and they were both shocked when they saw a little fox kit running towards the old squib. It was freaky to see the man smile when nobody was being tortured, but it was nice to see that the lonely man had found another companion. Draco felt slightly bad about the fact that the students were the reason that the squib never fit in, but it was nice to see that something else cared for him again.

It was clear that Filch had rescued and adopted the little kit and Draco had to hold back a snickered when he saw the little animal being pampered. The fox ate its food before numbly scampering into the old man's hands and lying down to sleep. Filch placed his cloak on the ground next to a tree and sat on it before leaning back. Harry and Draco saw a female fox sitting just outside the den where the little kit had run and it wasn't long before she also curled up next to the old man's leg.

Draco knew that she had seen them, but didn't deem them a threat and he nodded to her before placing a shield spell around the burrow to allow only the foxes inside and out and another one over the three sleeping forms. The first spell was hidden to avoid detection in order to ensure the safety of both foxes, while the other would bread as soon as the three forms separated.

It wasn't a good idea to fall asleep in the Forbidden Forest, but he let them be. They were safe enough. He knew that Harry was looking at him strangely, but when he wanted to make a stinging retort, he saw that Harry wasn't trying to keep himself from laughing, instead, he was looking at him in awe and Draco felt his cheeks become warm at the stare.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Draco whispered softly as they walked back to the castle. Harry's eyes were slightly shimmering as he took his hand and they mostly walked in silence until Harry found his voice to speak.

"That was a nice thing to do back there. I must say, I'm shocked that I didn't think about it during school though. I have a slight hero complex (Draco snorted at this and Harry glared at him before he continued), but I completely forgot that Filch is the way he is for a reason. Everyone ignores him and hates him even though he's just doing his job. Yes, he might be cruel, but that's probably because no one gave him the chance to make friends. Maybe we can…?"

But Draco shook his head. "It's too late to try and fix the pain that hundreds of students have inflicted over time. Leave him to his life, he's happy now. He won't like you if you put him in the spotlight." Harry nodded sadly as they reached the Great Hall. A spinning gadget boomeranged across the room towards them and Harry easily caught it.

It was a note from Jean and Theo that everything was placed and ready. It directed them to the side door that led to the Great Hall and they readied themselves for the reveal. They peaked out and cast a charm on the tables so that no one left their seats prematurely.

They saw Jean wink to them and steeled themselves as the show began. A myriad of colors filled the hall and both teachers and students tried to get up, but couldn't (All the teachers except Severus and Remus, that is). The light dimmed and a box was revealed.

 _ **Thank you for reading this fanfic, sorry this chapter took so long. I was struggling to figure out which content I wanted where…**_


	19. Chapter 19 Muggle Magic

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 19: Muggle Magic (Harry)**

Harry wasn't really surprised when Jean and Theo looked at them and then called them onto the make-shift stage the moment they saw them. "If Harold and Draconis would please assist us in our demonstration, it would be much appreciated."

Draco didn't really look happy about the whole show anymore, but Harry dragged him out anyway. He knew that Draco had only agreed with the idea of the show because he wanted to shock a whole lot of people and he also knew that Draco hadn't expected to feel like a guinea pig in a laboratory once they had to walk up to the stage with the eyes of the entire school following them.

Most of the students probably thought that they had somehow angered the two jokesters and that they were now going to be embarrassed in the worst way possible. Harry didn't know if they were really thinking that, but the expressions on their faces, told him that they though that or something similar.

He leaned towards Draco and whispered soothingly. "They have to make it seem like another prank or a punishment otherwise the students might know that they are trying to do something else. I know this isn't the type of attention that you like, but bear with it for me please?"

Draco gave him a look that clearly stated that he would have to make it up to him and Harry winked at him before smiling and leaning in close to his ear again. "If you're good, I might just give you a reward when the reveal is over."

He had to hold back a laugh as he saw a blush forming on the blond-to-be-again's cheeks. He didn't think that Draco actually knew what he was planning, but if he did then it would probably ruin the surprise. He didn't want Draco to think that they wouldn't be allowed to be together once they revealed themselves.

Harry took Draco's hand and walked up to Jean and Theo who seemed to be grinning maliciously. If he was being honest with himself, Harry would have been very worried about their fates if he hadn't know about what was about to happen. Scratch that, he thought, Jean and Theo's grinning had him thinking that he would rather face old Voldie all over again.

As he looked around for a distraction from his thoughts, he saw that McGonagall still had her wand and free movement, but the humor in her eyes told him that she probably knew about what was going to happen. He actually had to commend Jean and Theo for their craftiness on getting the Headmistress on their side.

It was quite apparent that she liked sneaky pranks now that Harry thought back on their encounters with the Transfigurations teacher. She only ever punished them severely if they had been stupid enough to get caught by her or any other teacher for that matter. The rest of the times she let them off easy if nobody could prove that they had done something.

It was surprisingly…Slytherin…of her. Harry decided to ignore the thought for now since Draco would probably stress even more if he revealed that the Headmistress had her wand handy. They stopped next to Jean and Theo who winked at them before pointing to the box.

Theo opened the box and turned it around to reveal that there weren't any other openings and that the box was empty. Jean then motioned for Harry and Draco to step inside and they did. Theo halfway closed the box so that everyone could still see them.

Jean cast a Sonorus before he began speaking. "Welcome everyone! First I would like to apologize to the teachers. The sticking spell will wear off in a few minutes…" He looked at Harry as he said this and Harry took this as his cue to release the sticking spell a few seconds before they are revealed.

Theo took over after casting his own Sonorus. "We just wanted to make sure that we have everyone's attention and that there will be no interruptions. Now we have a huge surprise for you today. You see, we have been approached by a couple of well-known figures and they are not happy with the fact that the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin has escalated way past hate and straight into the realm of mindless war."

Jean nodded and looked out towards the students in the hall. "Most people would never believe that a Gryffindor could fit into Slytherin or that a Slytherin could be friends with a Gryffindor, but we have proof that both those occurrences actually happened, with great success and none of us even knew about it."

Theo and Jean walked up to the box and closed it completely before spinning it around three times. They smirked as they saw that the sticking charm had been stopped and most of the teachers were now eagerly sitting on the edges of their seats. Apparently the idea of stopping the show had completely fled their minds and made way for curiosity.

Jean and Theo stopped spinning the box around and stepped back. Together they spoke. "Now without further ado, we reveal to you the true identities behind Harold James and Draconis Malfius, who just happen to be two of our Slytherin first-years." Gasps echoed throughout the entire hall as they magically opened the box to reveal the 'students' inside.

The hall was silent for a few more seconds before chaos broke out. They couldn't hear what anyone was saying but it was clear that no one (except those who knew about them) had expected them to be there. McGonagall was about to silence the hall, but Harry winked at her before raising his hand for silence.

Most of the hall fell silent, but a few Slytherins seemed to refuse to be quiet until Draco fixed them with a glare. Harry looked at Draco, who gave him a pointed look that clearly said 'this was your idea, get on with it' and he turned back to address the students.

"I guess that you are all wondering why Draco and I masqueraded as students. The short story is that we were given a mission and it required us to go undercover. Of course we decided to disappear as soon as we finished our mission, but due to certain problems that needed to be addressed, we decided to reveal ourselves."

He looked over to the Slytherins, who suddenly seemed extremely worried and then glanced at the Gryffindor table. Some of them looked uncomfortable while the rest of their expressions ranged from smug, to happy and star struck.

It was easy to determine what the students were thinking and he decided to address the Gryffindors first. "I must admit that when I was in Gryffindor, things were different, but not by much. I was told that Gryffindors were good wizards and that Slytherin held all the dark wizards…"

His words started anger and hurt from the Slytherins and smugness as well as teasing from the Gryffindors and he held his wand up threateningly. Silence descended the Great hall and he looked crossly at the Gryffindors who suddenly cringed back as they saw his expression. The Slytherins all seemed to pick up on the fact that his anger was aimed at the Gryffindors and not at them.

"I find myself truly disappointed that Gryffindors have sunk so low as to pick on first year Slytherins that haven't even done anything to them, just because they believe that they are both stronger and superior. I was also shocked when I saw those same Gryffindors that were supposed to stand for bravery and justice, pick on the students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as well while the Slytherins had to break their code of brethren by saving said houses from the tyrannous Gryffindors."

Most of the Gryffindors looked truly ashamed, but Harry could see that there were a few bullies who wouldn't be swayed. The Slytherins on the other hand looked extremely shocked that 'Harry Potter' was defending them. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were shocked, but he could see that they all seemed to realize how things have turned out within their school. He heard one Ravenclaw whisper that the Slytherins have become their saviors while the Gryffindors had become a nightmare to run into.

He saw the blatant anger on one Hufflepuff's face before it was hidden and he promised himself to find out whether the student had been hurt badly by another in any way. He looked back at the Gryffindor bullies and wasn't really surprised when the lead bully stood up shaking in anger. "How are we supposed to know that you are the real Harry Potter? For all we know this could be a trick being pulled by the Slytherins in order to discredit us. The real Harry Potter would stand by his house after all and he would never in his life willingly work with death eater scum like Draco Malfoy and be sorted into Slytherin, even if it was for a mission!"

Harry felt the anger boil inside him, but at Draco's touch on his arm, he slightly calmed down. This didn't stop him from suddenly smirking maliciously however and the Gryffindor bullies paled. "You don't think that I am the real Harry Potter? Well I guess that's fair, since I disappeared from the Wizarding world for a few years. Maybe I should…" His sentence was stopped as the touch on his arm turned into a tight grip.

He rolled his eyes as he realized what Draco was trying to tell him. The look in Draco's face practically screamed 'act like a Slytherin and hide your trump cards'. He nodded slightly. He had been about to change into a phoenix in front of everyone, but Draco was right.

This had him thinking of another plan and he smirked before winking at Draco. "Well let me ask you something since you are such an expert on 'Harry Potter'." The boy nodded cockily, but narrowed his eyes as Harry's smile became wider.

"Who is the only other person that Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes, responded to?" The murmurs in the room started up again and Harry could see Draco smirk out of the corner of his eye. This seemed to be the best option since Fawkes hadn't revealed himself again after Dumbledore's death even after the war.

Nobody knew that Fawkes had actually been hanging out at his house quite a bit after Dumbledore's death. He couldn't really understand Fawkes like he understood Leah, but that was a given since Leah was actually bonded to him. At least Leah was a good translator.

The Gryffindor bully scoffed and lifted a single brow. Harry had to admit to himself that no one could pull off the look quite like Draco and Severus, so he just shook his head before turning his attention to the open window in the roof. He then spoke loudly and clearly. "Fawkes, Leah, could you join us please?"

The hall went silent, but nothing appeared for a few minutes and the bully scoffed. "What? Did you think that Fawkes would actually heed your call just because you have a phoenix too? This is such a joke. It's not like you earned them, you said you just inherited them." The rest of the Gryffindors didn't look too sure anymore and the Slytherins looked apprehensive, but excited.

Harry smirked as he felt a slight tickle in his mind and two phoenixes suddenly swooped in through the window and dove low. Leah landed on one shoulder while Fawkes landed on the other and Harry lifted an eyebrow as he saw the two phoenixes secretly checking each other out. Was that even possible? He slightly shook his head then gazed at both of them fondly.

Phoenixes mated for life and if they chose to be together then he was sure that Leah would always be protected. Harry glanced back at the bully who now looked really alone in his argument, but still very stubborn and he sighed. The boy really reminded him of Ron's less than stellar personality traits of stubbornness and jealousy.

He walked up to the boy and his eyes widened slightly as he finally realized who the boy was. "You know Mark Dillon, I never expected you to turn into a bully after I saved you from one in your second year." Whispers started up in the hall again and Mark's eyes widened as he realized that he had actually pissed off the real Harry Potter.

The blush that spread over the boy's cheeks as he paled at the realization, intrigued Harry since he hadn't know the two processes to actually occur simultaneously. Leah and Fawkes flew over to the perch that had been placed in the Great hall as if they could sense that Harry was about to lose his temper at the stupidity of the people around him.

At least, that had been the plan until one look back at the smug expression on Draco's face, made him rethink the idea. _"So Draco thinks the fact that I'm lecturing a Gryffindor, is extremely funny…? Hm, I'll show him funny."_

Harry turned around and stalked back towards Draco. He took his earlier place and looked around the Great hall. "Look, this destructive rivalry and bullying has to stop immediately. During the war every house had their share of death eaters and every house had their share of heroes that gave up almost everything they had in order to survive the war."

A scoff rung out and Harry pinned a Ravenclaw student with a stare. "You may scoff all you like, but each house had their necessary traits and as such also their necessary roles to play in the war. The Ravenclaws made strategic plans, the Gryffindors did their absolute best to face the enemy head on with their bravery and the Hufflepuffs supported each group with whatever they were good at. But did it ever occur to you that most of the students in Slytherin house were either fulfilling or preparing to fulfill the most dangerous role that could be played in the war?"

A confused silence rang out in the hall and he could tell that he had everyone's attention. Even Draco was looking at him strangely. Harry faced forward and continued to speak. "Did any of you ever think what a hell it must have been to pretend to serve Voldemort?" The confused expression deepened as the students tried to figure out what he was actually trying to say.

Harry sighed loudly before revealing to everyone the pain in his eyes. "Did any of you actually know that Voldemort was very good at Legilimens? Of course you didn't since most of you don't even know what it is. Well let me explain. Legilimens is the ability to read a person's thoughts as well as their memories and as such, any conversations or meetings they might have ever had during their entire lifetime. Voldemort could learn your deepest fear by just looking into your eyes and he could rip your mind apart while doing it."

He saw fear appear as the news and its implications started to sink in. "Once your mind has been damaged, the probability of it returning to its original state becomes almost non-existent. The students of the Slytherin house had to go through numerous torture spells whenever Voldemort was feeling bored or displeased and they were required to keep their mind's shut in order to keep Voldemort from finding out any information on their allegiance."

Some students looked a little sick at this point, but Harry kept on talking. "If I were to cast a Cruciatis curse on any of you, I'm pretty sure that you would reveal your secrets within a few seconds just to have it stop. Having been under it myself a few times, I can tell you now that the nerve damage it either takes very long to heal or in most cases, it doesn't heal at all, depending on the extent of the damage. This means that the victim would never again be able to duel, since their body shakes uncontrollably for the rest of their lives. Even simple spells become difficult to do."

The fear grew in their eyes and Harry saw guilt form as well. He decided that it didn't help to explain any more. Students always followed their own heads and made up their own minds. Instead he turned towards Draco and reached out to take his hand.

The blond folded his fingers around Harry's and Harry grabbed him closer for a quick kiss. He had wanted to do this since earlier. The only thing that was stopping him from making the kiss any deeper was the fact that nothing between them was settled yet. Shocked gasps, laughs and catcalls were heard and Harry felt himself blush.

He ended the kiss and looked around the hall again. "For those of you, who didn't know or understand, Draco and I have been rivals since school and one day we just somehow realized at the same time that we actually had a lot in common. This only happened once we gave up on the ridiculous notions of being in different houses. Draco Malfoy actually saved my life during the war and after that his mother did the same."

He saw the ever-present smirk on Draco's face, but the blonde's eyes spoke other words. He hadn't expected Harry to reveal what he'd done during the war and the shocked faces reminded him that nobody, not even the teachers, would have thought that he would save his rival.

Harry found it surprising that nobody brought up Dumbledore's death, but then again, the real circumstances (minus the information on the Horcruxes) had already been published. The Slytherins, along with a few students from the other houses, now seemed to look up at Draco in awe and Harry mentally shook his head, as if the blonde really needed more of a fan-club than he already had.

Harry decided to cut things short. He still had a lot of things to prepare if he wanted to surprise Draco. "Now that that's cleared up, I believe the teachers want to get on with their classes." He dragged Draco by the hand, but the students suddenly seemed intent on swarming them so he wordlessly called out to Leah and she immediately flew over to apparate them to their room. It didn't surprise him when Fawkes followed them and he winked at the bird before telling Leah that she was free to do what she wanted for the day.

He looked at his bed and smiled when he saw that Blaine was curled up around Cyan and they were both still fast asleep. He didn't get much further with his musings however because Draco suddenly grabbed him close and as he felt their lips touch, he knew he was a goner. The world faded around them as Draco licked then lightly bit his bottom lip and Harry immediately opened his mouth to allow him entry.

Their tongues dueled and the room became heated as their hands roamed over each other. Harry groaned as Draco pulled him tightly against his muscled body and a shudder went through both of them. When they finally came up for air, they held each other close.

Harry dragged Draco by the hand and they lay down on the bed. He curled up in Draco arms and of them really felt like talking. They chose to enjoy the moment instead. Sleep soon overtook them though and Harry woke hours later to find that he still had to set things up. He cast a tempus and was shocked to find that it was already late in the afternoon. Harry tried to softly get out of bed, but Draco woke up as he moved and tightened his arms around him.

Harry could sense that Draco wanted to say something so he put his finger on the blonde's lips after slightly pulling back. "Anything and everything we have to say to each other will be spoken tonight. Meet me at the place we made peace the night Voldemort died." With that he winked at Draco and gave him another kiss before he exited the room.

 _ **Thank you for reading this fanfic.**_


	20. Chapter 20 A Date for a Dragon

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 20: A Date for a Dragon (Harry & Draco)**

Harry felt like he wanted to pull out his hair in frustration. It had seemed so easy to arrange the perfect date, but now he was struggling to do even that. The idea had been to make a comfortable room where they can eat while talking, but the candles kept being blown out by the wind. The tower space had looked like it would be perfect for the date, but he had clearly forgotten to keep the elements in mind.

Unfortunately, he didn't know any spells that could stop the wind from blowing so he was unable to follow that plan. He also wanted to order food from Draco's favorite restaurant, but they were closed for the week since their chef got sick. He didn't know why the restaurant had only one chef anyway. Didn't they usually work shifts with other chefs?

The gift he had secretly ordered for Draco was also delayed and as such, the only things he had so far was a conjured sofa that could double-up as a bed and a thick carpet covered the floor. The colors were composed of silver and green and Harry would have laughed about the unplanned color choices if he wasn't working against a time limit.

He looked around in exasperation and it seemed the room's only other occupant couldn't take anymore. He jumped as a voice behind him began to speak. "Harry James Potter, if you don't settle down this instant I will be forced to unleash something horrible upon you or restrain you at the very least!"

Harry turned to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin and slightly bowed respectfully, but before he could say anything, the man started to speak again. "Stop that bowing, you are my apprentice and you should start acting as such. If you are stressed about this date, and I will only tell you this because you are trying to woe a brilliant mind from my own house, but I'll teach you a spell that will enable you to remove the objects that the Room of Requirement conjures."

Feelings of excitement and trepidation flowed over Harry as he looked at the Slytherin founder. Since Voldemort was defeated, Harry became the heir of Slytherin and one of the clauses in Salazar's will required that all heirs had to study from Slytherin himself when they are found.

Salazar had told him that Tom had refused to follow his rules and the resulting consequence was that Tom had been denied the title of Slytherin's heir. No one knew about the incident of course, but Harry had been extremely shocked when he was summoned to Gringotts a week after he had defeated the dark lord.

The goblins had been under the orders of Salazar to keep the news of the next heir hidden since he had seen Tom's heart grow darker as time passed and although the founder had already known about the prophecy, he hadn't wanted to put his heir in even greater danger.

The goblins had explained everything to him when he'd been informed of the news and he was given another portrait of Salazar to put in his home. At first, he'd been irritated by the fact that the man seemed to want to rule his entire life, but he got used to it after a while.

Harry inwardly scoffed, but it quickly changed into a private smile. The man had really grown on him during his stay. He brought his attention back to the present and remembered that he was supposed to be getting things ready. He looked up at Salazar with his best 'hidden' pleading face and was rewarded with a sigh.

Salazar shook his head in exasperation, but Harry could see fondness in his eyes. At least as much as a picture could actually show emotion. "The words of the spell are _Ut Formam Tuam._ It translates to Keep Your Form. It's a wandless spell. I would say more, but you better hurry if you want to get everything ready in time. Follow the shortcut through the Basilisk portrait. It's obvious what the password is, since you got into the chamber of secrets, it will lead you straight into the Room of Requirement."

Harry nodded and moved to the painting even though he was itching to know why Salazar would create a shortcut that led directly into the Room of Requirement. The man just winked at him before turning back to his reading. Harry wondered whether portraits could exchange books or something since he couldn't imagine Salazar reading the same book over and over for years on end.

He hissed the password and rushed through the passage. He then emerged from behind a statue of a snake at the exit and he smiled since he had always wondered why the statue never changed even though the room did. Now he actually did know and Harry smiled at the sneakiness. Not even the Slytherins, who knew about the room, thought that some secret was hidden behind it. Luckily only Parseltongue could open the passage, otherwise, Harry would have had to find a new secret room.

The room immediately provided him with everything he needed and he wanted to hit himself on the head when he saw that the room had provided covered lanterns as well. The downside of knowing too many spells, was that you forget about them over time, even when the answer is as clear as day. He knew how to make the lanterns, but he had completely disregarded them as a possibility.

Harry gathered the food and lanterns and carried them towards the statue after he had cast the spell, but just as he was about to go back to Salazar's rooms, something caused a bright light to engulf the entire Room of Requirement and he saw that something else had appeared within the room. He conjured a box that could protect the food and then placed the food and the lanterns into a bottomless bag.

As he set down the bag, Harry realized that the room was urging him to seek out the object. Hogwarts herself seemed to tremble in anticipation as he neared an old chest covered in rust. The chest had just suddenly appeared and Harry wondered why Hogwarts was so eager for him to have it.

He opened the chest and had to bite back a gasp as its contents revealed two silver bands. One of the bands was encrusted with rubies while its twin was riddled with diamonds. They seemed simple until one touched them and Harry could feel the power they emitted as he picked them up.

He raised them to the light and blinked when he caught some sort of irregularities on the inside. As he looked closer, he realized that there were words inscribed on the inside. _**'Always and Forever'**_ had been carved inside and Harry couldn't help but think that both the rings and the words were strangely familiar. He put the rings in his pocket and glanced at the last object that the box held.

Strangely enough, it was the same necklace that he had ordered as a gift for Draco, but unlike the gift he had ordered, the necklace seemed to sing with an ancient power. A silver chain held an emerald snake on its end. The detail was exquisite and Harry couldn't resist touching the fangs of the snake. He winced as the sharp fangs cut open his finger. A small pulse emitted from the necklace as his blood made contact and the necklace writhed in his hand as the silver chain disappeared completely.

Harry gasped as the emerald snake enlarged and he was surprised to see that a thin layer of diamond seemed to envelop the entire snake. He dropped it and stepped back as he was faced with a snake that was suddenly three meters long, but he calmed down when he saw that the snake wasn't going to attack him.

 _~ Hello master Ian, it's so nice to see you again after such a long time. I was starting to wonder whether you have forgotten about me. How is master Dante doing? Is he still fussing about with his potions? ~_ Harry felt thoroughly dazed as the snake spoke and he almost forgot to answer.

 _~ Sorry, but my name is Harry Potter. I don't know this Ian person you are speaking of, but the Room of Requirement gave me a chest with two rings and your necklace inside."_ ~ The snake seemed to ponder for a moment before looking at Harry with knowing eyes and then shrinking in order to slither up his leg and chest and into his hand.

 _~ Your blood says otherwise child, but I think I know what has happened. Take me to Lord Salazar, one of the founders of Hogwarts and maybe then you will find the answers that you seek. ~_ The emerald snake looked adamant so Harry just shrugged and picked up the bag before returning to Salazar's quarters. Why were snakes always so authoritative and pushy? And he wasn't only talking about the scaly kind either.

As he emerged from the Basilisk portrait, Salazar started laughing joyously and he felt completely left out as the snake seemed to share an inside joke with the man. Both of them looked at him before Salazar pointed out his other portrait and the two vanished from the room.

Harry shook it off before casting a tempus and he then rushed again as he saw that it was almost time to send Draco his message. He placed the food and then cast a heat-preserving charm on them before lighting the lanterns. His original plan had included roses, but he didn't know whether Draco would've liked the idea or not, so he conjured a few roses in a vase and scattered rose leaves around.

He placed a charm on the scattered leaves so that they could take on the form of whatever the person viewing them would like but within a certain limit of course. He then wrote a note to Draco and hoped that the blond would remember the place they had made peace.

As he was about to leave Salazar's rooms, Harry felt a tug on his leg and he was slightly surprised to see the emerald snake slithering up to his arm. The snake gave him a once-over before nodding and slithering down to dip into his pocket. Soon he could hear a pleased sigh as his pocket grew slightly heavier and he realized that the snake must have returned to his pendant form.

Harry looked towards the snake's sleeping spot. _~ You know… I was planning to give you to the man I'm interested in. You look almost exactly like the gift I was going to give him, but if you only answer to the wizards you spoke of, then it will be pretty much impossible to do that. ~_

The emerald snake eyed him from his pocket for a moment as he seemed to think about the situation, but it wasn't long before he shook his head and replied. _~ Please allow me to evaluate you and your friend then. If he is Dante like I think he is, then I have no problem if you gave me to him, but if he isn't then you will have to bind to me until we find him. ~_

Harry nodded and returned to the Room of Requirement while he thought of the past. The Fiendfire had burned itself out during the battle and he had found Draco in the room when he'd searched for a quiet place to escape the crowds. The room itself had been able to smother the fire and it had been a great surprise to find the room completely intact.

Both of them had been too tired to even draw their wands in defense and he had simply sunk down to sit next to the blond. At first, they had allowed the silence to engulf the room, but then Harry had turned his face towards Draco and thanked him.

The blond had been confused until Harry explained that he was thanking him for saving their lives at the Malfoy Manor. Draco had clearly been shocked, but his upbringing had reminded him that it would be impolite if he didn't reply.

The blond had shaken his head and his words still ring clear to Harry even now. _"You saved me as well so we're even; we don't owe each other anything."_ It was at that time that Harry had realized that he didn't want to be enemies or even rivals with the blond anymore.

Harry had raised his hand in silent question for a handshake as he spoke. _"We may be even, but I don't want to be enemies or rivals anymore. I'm tired of fighting and that includes verbally sparring with you over every little thing. You might not accept my words, but I'm sorry for everything I did to hurt you."_

Draco had been shocked speechless, but Harry had felt relief flow through him as Draco took his hand and shook it before letting go. The blond had seemed to be contemplating something before he spoke again and his words were truly unexpected.

" _I will accept your apology if you accept mine as well. As much as I enjoyed riling you up, this last year has taught me that I tend to go overboard with my actions when something happens that I don't like. I admit that it is for that same reason that our rivalry started."_ Draco had smirked as Harry had looked at him with wide eyes before he continued speaking.

" _It wasn't just the light side that went crazy when you defeated the Dark Lord as a child. The dark side also silently revered you. My father told me a lot of stories about you and your family, but it was his intent to make me hate you. I yearned to be your friend instead. As you know, this all came crashing down when you refused my friendship."_

Draco never revealed his thoughts and feelings so Harry had quietly listened to his story. He had been too afraid that if he said something, the blond would close up again. They had spoken for hours on end after that and although they weren't friends at that stage, they did part as equals.

Harry smiled as he remembered the past and he unconsciously glanced to the spot where they had peace. Their time together at the Auror academy drove most of their peers insane since their never-ending banter extended to even when they were having lunch. Yet no one but the two of them realized that there wasn't really any heat behind the words. They just kept up appearances in order to avoid the questions that would pop up if it was revealed that they were somewhat friends.

He glanced around the Room of Requirement and sank down on his spot against the wall. He heard the sound of the door opening and looked up to see Draco glancing around in confusion. Harry inwardly grinned as he realized that the blond was expecting their date to be held in the room and he promptly decided to tease the blond a bit.

He stood up with the intent to do just that when he saw that Draco seemed extremely disappointed. The blonde's shoulders sagged and he looked right past Harry and turned around. Harry looked around to make sure that he didn't actually have his invisibility cloak on, but then he realized that the emerald snake was glowing.

The snake gave him one look and hissed. _~ He can't see you because you're holding me and I'm not bonded yet. It's him! Put me around his neck, now! ~_ Harry didn't know what was going on, but he did as he was told and as soon as the necklace settled around Draco's neck, the blond turned to him with wide eyes before looking down at the necklace that now hung around his neck.

"Harry? I almost thought that you weren't here. Were you hiding under your invisibility cloak?" He shook his head and looked down at the emerald snake with Draco following his gaze. The snake was glowing and it was clear that Draco's magic was merging with it.

The snake hissed in contentment as the glow died down and he mostly turned to solid emerald once more. But his whispered words became clear as Harry and Draco looked at each other. _~ Finally we have bonded once again Dante. Please do not save Ian in such a rash way ever again, otherwise, I will be forced to lock up both of you for your own protection ~_

Harry gazed at the snake until Draco spoke. "What does he mean by locking us up for our own protection?! Harry, what the hell is this?" Harry realized that Draco had understood the Parseltongue the snake had spoken and he looked at the boy in shock before trying to explain.

"I was getting things ready for our date when the Room of Requirement decided to gift me with something more. The snake pendant was inside it and it called me Ian. He said he was looking for his master Dante and it seems that the wizard in question is you and you just spoke fluent Parseltongue." Harry cringed as Draco grew slightly paler.

He decided that since the snake seemed to know Salazar well, he would look for answers there and he pulled Draco to the statue before leading him into the other room. Draco gasped and looked at him in shock. "Do you realize what you have found Harry? This is Salazar Slytherin's personal quarters! How in the name of Merlin did you find it?"

Harry almost wanted to laugh at the fact that the Slytherin founder's quarters had completely sidetracked Draco, but he dragged the blond in front of the portrait of his teacher instead. "Salazar you have to help! The snake bonded with Draco and it's calling him Dante! And Draco is suddenly able to speak fluent Parseltongue even though he couldn't understand it before!"

The portrait laughed and Harry's gaze narrowed as he glared at his teacher. This was no laughing matter! What if the snake necklace had cursed Draco! Salazar seemed to read his mind because he motioned for the two of them to sit before speaking.

"You are Harry and Draco, but you are also Ian and Dante. A long time ago, when I was still alive, I had two students who became my apprentices. In that time, each founder taught their own house and classes were rarely shared unless it would help the students in some way or another."

Salazar looked at them fondly as realization dawned on their faces, but he continued. "I did not want apprentices at the time, but the two of you were stubborn in your pursuit of knowledge so I accepted you. You refused to get anything lower than full marks and made a competition out of it in order to see who could gain the most knowledge. But alas, I must admit that it was my own faults that caused your deaths."

Harry and Draco felt a shiver run through them at the sadness in the man's eyes, but they stayed quiet. "I started to spend too much time with you and too little time with the rest. Your thirst for knowledge intrigued me and there were numerous spells still used today that you created in your co-operation. The emerald snake was a gift given from Ian to Dante in order to allow him to both understand and speak Parseltongue once bonded and it also held invisibility spells along with its snake familiar form."

Draco's eyes widened as the snake on his pendant grew and settled half onto his lap and half onto Harry's, but he couldn't tear away his attention from Salazar's words. "Unfortunately you placed the necklace down one night as something compelled you to leave your rooms. A jealous classmate tried to steal your knowledge through a curse, but he accidentally changed the movement and it became a heart-stopping curse since we didn't use words to direct our spells in that time, but a movement."

Both men felt their breathing hitch and it was as if they could see the scene in front of their eyes. "Ian tried to push Dante out of the way and he would have succeeded if Dante hadn't cast a protection charm on Ian before jumping in front of him to protect him. Dante died when his heart stopped and Ian tried to person a spell that they had been experimenting on, one that would allow two beings to share one heartbeat. But the spell wasn't finished yet and Ian died holding hid mate's lifeless body."

The atmosphere in the room was extremely thick with shock and sadness. Harry and Draco unknowingly held each other close as they processed the words of the Slytherin founder. The room grew silent and Harry found that he couldn't stand it anymore.

"I guess it seems like my stellar bad luck has been inherited from a previous life after all." Salazar and Draco looked at him in a funny way and he shook his head. "No, I mean it. Since this mission has started we have made so many plans, but none of them happened. We imagined this long drawn out spy thing where we finally catch the culprits, in the end, only to find that there wasn't any real danger, to begin with, unless you had a deranged Minister on your hands. We would have involved Filch, but that didn't happen either and I'm not even talking about our other plans to give Jean and Theo some practice in the Auror category. And now to top it all off, the romantic date I tried to plan has turned into a history lesson where I find out that both me and the man I have a crush on, has been murdered in our previous life."

You could almost hear a pin drop as Harry finished his rant and it only took a few seconds for the brunet to realize that he had just basically declared his love to his crush in front of his mentor and the crush himself.

Draco looked around the room and felt his body heat rise at Harry's confession. The man had probably not meant to admit his feelings in such a way if the decorated room was any indication to go by, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the fact that Harry liked him and he liked Harry back. He could easily ignore their past deaths since the most important thing was that he had Harry here with him and he promised himself that he would sacrifice his life for Harry again if he must, but this time he would ensure that the brunet didn't do something as stupid as trying to save him.

 _ **Thank you for reading, I'm sorry that this update is so late, I really couldn't figure out where to stop the chapter and I had to rewrite a few paragraphs when it seemed like they weren't making any sense.**_


	21. Chapter 21 Dates and Kidnappings

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _ **Please note that this chapter has two separate viewpoints: one from Draco and one from Remus.**_

 _ **Sorry that the chapter is a bit late, but I had to do some editing work for some university students. I must say that if anyone says that you can't get withdrawal from not writing… then I think they just haven't experienced it yet. I was practically drooling at the idea of a free night where I can just relax and write my own stories!**_

 _ **Anyway, here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 21: Dates and Kidnappings (Draco / Remus)**

Draco could see that Harry was riling himself up with his thoughts, so he did the only thing he could think of (well it did have a little payback mixed in) and dragged the brunet close to him in order to kiss him senseless. They were boyfriends now after all…weren't they? Draco pulled back to look into shocked emerald-colored eyes. "This might be the worst possible time to ask this…but does this mean that we're together?"

The brunet blinked a few times before a giant smile crossed his face and he crushed Draco against him. "Yes Draco, this means that we are together." His face became slightly worried and the blond could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "That is…if you want to be with a wreck like me."

The hopeful expression nudged at his heart, but he looked at his new boyfriend and partner sternly. "If you ever call yourself a wreck or unlucky ever again, then I will personally make sure that you regret it. You are not a wreck and you are not unlucky. Leave the past in the past where it belongs and focus on the future or I might just have to read up on creative ways to change your way of thinking."

The blush that spread across the brunet's cheeks made Draco smile and he pulled him close once more. This time the kiss was slow and they took their time exploring each other's mouths. Draco licked Harry's lip as a silent bid for entry and the brunet opened his mouth without a fight.

Their tongues dueled and he was surprised when Harry allowed his tongue to slightly overcome the brunet's. There were no terms like dominant and subordinate in their relationship and both men instinctively knew this. Their relationship would depend on their moods and Draco took the lead in order to show Harry that he was so much more than what the world's 'savior' imagined himself to be.

Someone cleared their throat and Draco realized that Salazar Slytherin was still watching them, so he dragged Harry off in search of a private room. He knew that he would later be freaking out about the fact that they were in the Slytherin founder's quarters, but for now (and hopefully for however long they lived) Harry was the most important being in existence and he knew that he would worry about all the other stuff later.

Draco thought that finding a completely private room would be easy, but each room had multiple portraits and by the time they reached the tenth room, Draco realized that there was something majorly wrong. Harry just laughed and pressed close to him before whispering something to him. "Remember that Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth and that he had to protect his rooms with a simple password in order to ensure that no one but his family got in."

Draco gave Harry a look and was about to go into a speech about unfairness when he remembered that he was also able to speak parseltongue now. A satisfied smirk crossed his face and he glanced to the side. ~ _Open for me as I command you and show me your secrets._ ~

A blank wall slid to the one side and Draco grinned as he saw a huge bed within the room. No pictures or portraits lined the wall, but in their place, a colorful; wooded scenery could be found on a canvas that spanned the entire length of the one wall in the huge room.

Draco's mouth threatened to drop open as he took in the size of the room, but he decided that he would have enough time to admire the décor later. It was either house elves or magic that kept the place clean and dust free and Draco silently approved. He dragged Harry over to the bed and pulled him down next to him. He knew instinctively that nothing would happen since their relationship was still extremely new (as in just a few minutes old), so he just pulled the brunet close and kissed him again.

In a way, it felt like they were trying to make up for lost time and both Draco and Harry froze with their chests heaving as they realized, after a long and heated make-out session, that they had almost started to undress each other. They glanced at each other at the same time, but both broke out in laughter as they recognized the mirrored expressions of fright.

Both of them had been afraid that they had overstepped some invisible line and they relaxed in each other's arms as the events of the day played through their minds. Draco couldn't believe that Harry had practically kissed him senseless in front of the entire school.

Harry suddenly yawned and Draco smiled before pulling the smaller man down to snuggle into his side. It wasn't long before soft breathing filled the room and the blonde found himself trying to sort through the night after kissing the other man's forehead in thought. Most of it was hazy and Draco cringed slightly when he remembered that Harry had spoken about a date.

The brunet would probably blame himself for not feeding Draco as he had promised when he woke up and the blonde found that he couldn't and wouldn't allow it. With a snap of his fingers, a soft pop sounded in the room and Draco looked down at an elf from his house. He wouldn't be breaking rules since he wasn't a student anymore.

"Go to the tower that resides within these quarters and make sure that the food is preserved with a spell." The elf nodded before bowing and then disappearing. Draco shifted down to pull Harry even deeper into his arms. He also felt tired due to the long and stressful day so instead of watching Harry sleep as he would have liked, Draco closed his eyes and fell asleep. Both men slept deeply and peacefully for the rest of the night, unaware of the panic that was occurring within the rest of the castle at that very moment.

 **Remus Lupin (After the reveal in the Great Hall)**

Remus found himself silently chuckling as he sat in his office. Harry and Draco had shocked all of them when they had kissed in front of the entire school and he had been pleasantly surprised at the way they had handled the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

He hadn't been surprised when most of the opposition came from Gryffindor though. The lions tended to speak before they think and Remus cringed slightly as he remembered Severus' words after he had apologized. But he knew that the only way to make up for it was to start doing the opposite by thinking before he spoke instead.

He was startled out of his musings by a soft knock on the door. He called out and a Hufflepuff student entered. He recognized the student as one of the students in his fifth-year class, but he felt a slight shiver run down his spine. Most people wouldn't even notice, but his wolf could sense that there was clearly something wrong with the boy.

He had tried to shake it off numerous times after the first class, but his wolf instincts always screamed out that the boy was a threat. Remus straightened slightly and tried to act the same as he would with any other student. "Good morning Wayne. Is there something I can help you with?"

The student nodded and pointedly looked at the open chair that stood on the other side of his desk. The werewolf nodded and pushed his own chair slightly back as if he was trying to get comfortable for a pleasant chat. "Was there anything specific you wanted to talk about?" Wayne nodded and started fidgeting as if he was nervous, but Moony could see through the act.

He chose to act like he didn't know of course. "It's alright, you can ask me anything. You don't have to be nervous." The student nodded and looked straight into the DADA Professor's eyes. Remus almost found himself scrambling to pull up his shields at the direct look, but he succeeded in squishing the action.

"You seem to know Harry Potter well from what I remember. I… I just wanted to know your relationship with him. Just for interest sake. I won't tell other people." The request sounded strange to Remus, but it wasn't strange that the student was probably looking for more information on the idol of the Wizarding world.

With his wolf still screaming that the boy was a threat, Remus found himself only giving the minimum information that could easily be found if the boy had chosen to read through old newspapers instead of asking him. "I was friends with his father so I look out for him in his place. Not that he needs someone to look out for him anymore. He's turned into a fine young man."

Remus looked closely at the boy as he nodded. The student seemed to realize that that was the only information he would be getting, so he stood up and slightly bowed to the werewolf. "Thank you for the information. It's probably common knowledge, but I wanted to be sure of my facts."

The Professor could only nod as a growl mentally deafened him. He cast a detection spell to make sure that the student had really left and then followed it with a silence spell when it came back positive. A long howl tore through the office and he did nothing to hold it back.

Over the years his inner wolf had become stronger and if it hadn't been for the unfortunate fact that he had to lock himself away once a month (along with the Ministry's prejudice against werewolves) then Remus would actually enjoy being a wolf.

The extra senses were perks he hadn't really accepted until it aided in saving his life quite a few times. He didn't feel comfortable that it was a student that had him losing control of his wolf at the school and in the day no less, but he fully agreed with Moony. Something was just not right with Wayne Wright and every instinct was screaming that the boy was up to something bad.

He decided to tell Harry and Draco when he saw them during the day and returned to his desk before removing the spells. First, he had a whole lot of essays to mark if he wanted to spend some time with Severus. He had been extremely surprised when the potions master had sent him a letter asking whether he would like to have a drink with him once they were both done with their duties.

Remus had immediately accepted of course and the thought now brought a grin to his face. He started marking the papers with renewed vigor and it was hours later before he allowed himself to sit back with a frown. He was finally done with the papers, but his entire body felt strange.

He usually had enough energy to make his rounds of the school, three times after marking twice as much work, but something seemed to be dragging on his body and its senses. A slightly sweet smell tickled his nose and he bolted upright. That smell reminded him of the only potion that could sufficiently knock out a werewolf for two days.

He quickly stood up and covered his mouth and nose even though he knew that it was useless. If he could smell the potion, it meant that it had been in his office for at least a couple of hours already. The potion was odorless until it activated, which usually took about five hours to happen. Remus couldn't understand how anyone could have smuggled it in without him knowing until he remembered his earlier visit from the Hufflepuff student and the way his instincts had been screaming.

Dread curled in his stomach and he shakily managed to keep himself upright until he rounded his desk. He couldn't see anything until his legs finally gave out and he was forced to sink to the floor. He caught something reflecting a glare of candlelight and glanced up to see two small potion bottles that seemed to have been stuck to the inner corner of his desk, with a sticking charm.

He felt sick as he realized that the dosage was enough to put him out for a week, if not two and he scrambled back to the other side of his desk as fast as his erratically slowing body would allow him. He yanked open one of his cupboards and grimaced when he saw that he only had one bezoar left.

He knew that it wouldn't completely negate the effects of the fumes, but it would at least help to lessen the time that he would stay in a coma. He reached for his wand and sent out a Patronus to Severus. He didn't know what they intended to do with him, but the youth's earlier question indicated that it was something to do with Harry.

He felt a slight surge as his Patronus disappeared after relaying his message and Remus hastily scrawled a note with instructions for Severus as well as orders for Harry and Draco. His fingers felt numb by the time he had finished and he had barely wrapped the letter around his wand and placed it among the papers on his desk before his entire body collapsed into his chair.

Moony sleepily growled at his and Remus sighed in agreement. He knew that he could have used the time he wrote the letter, to exit his rooms and find help, but the chances of running into the student that had drugged him, was very high and the end result would have meant that he would be unable to warn anyone. He hoped that Severus would be able to reach him quick enough, but his hope dwindled as he saw a boy in Hufflepuff robes come into his office as his vision started to fade.

Soon he only had the function of his ears left and he was surprised to find that his sense of hearing hadn't been fading at all. He could hear several pairs of feet enter the room and he realized that there were now four other people in his office. The fact that Hogwarts still wasn't safe even after the war, made him mentally shudder.

He knew that they were probably after Harry and it made him feel relieved when he remembered that both Harry and Draco had been trained as Aurors. It was probably one of the reasons why they had targeted him instead of the wizard that had defeated Voldemort. Remus knew that the potion that they had given him, was counted as a closely guarded secret in certain werewolf clans and he couldn't help but mentally smile at the thought that his soon-to-be kidnappers probably didn't know that he could hear everything they were saying.

"Why don't we just kidnap Potter and get it over with while we're here? It will spare us so much time." The sound of a smack echoed through the room and Remus would have rolled his eyes if he could. Wayne, who had evidently been the one to smack the other boy, spoke. "Because, Brian, Draco is toying with him at the moment."

Remus wanted to rant when he heard this. Was Draco in on the whole thing? Was he actually using Harry? A warning growl filled his mind and he silently yelped as Moony 'bit' him. _"What the hell was that for? It's Draco you should be getting angry at, not me!"_ But he knew why the wolf had stopped his thoughts.

The words had clearly been spoken by a boy that seemed mentally unstable and even he had seen how Harry and Draco look at each other. No one could fake the looks that Draco gave the brunet when he thought the man wasn't looking. Remus sighed and continued to listen. The least he could do is gather information.

"Draco will probably bring him to us when he learns that we are helping him to get rid of his enemies and it's like casting two simultaneous hexes with one wand. He will learn that we are helping him and we get revenge on both the Ministry and the so-called Boy-Who-Lived. For now, I would advise against touching Potter. Draco will want him as a slave if we can't get him to see things our way. In fact, it would be better if he's uncooperative. Then we can turn him into a mindless puppet that can do our bidding."

The sound of ruffling clothes indicated that someone was taking something from their pocket. "It's a good thing that the wards around Hogwarts are full of holes. Otherwise, we might not have been able to use this portkey." Murmurs of agreement filled the room as they stepped closer to the spot where Remus lay. "What are we going to do with the werewolf while we wait?"

The question had been running through the werewolves mind as he lay there and he suddenly found that he didn't want to know." Wayne, who seemed to be the leader of the group, sighed. "He will be out for about a week so we won't be doing anything to him. He is also a dark creature so, despite his connection to Potter, he could maybe be persuaded to join our cause."

Remus inwardly sagged in relief at the knowledge that they won't be doing anything to him. He wanted to shout that he would never join their cause, but if Severus was unable to find him before the week ended, he might use that idea and position to not only stay alive but to also save Draco or Harry if they were captured.

The sound of a door blasting open, shocked the students into action and they grabbed onto each other and activated the portkey just as familiar steps echoed outside the office and the second door shared the same fate as the first. Remus had just enough time to hear Severus call out his name in alarm before he was assaulted with an array of dizzying sensations. He landed hard on the ground and as his head hit the floor with a hard smack, he knew no more.

 _ **Thank you for reading this fanfic and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**_


	22. Chapter 22 The Choice of a Prince

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _ **I received a few wonderful reviews for this story and it has prompted me to write an early chapter for this week in order to thank everyone for your support.**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 22: The Choice of a Prince (Severus)**

Severus mumbled softly about students who didn't know how to study as he looked at the quality of the potions that had been handed in to him. He had already taken out the good ones, but the headmaster had asked him to at least slightly evaluate the rest of the potions instead of just throwing them away like he usually did.

He couldn't understand why he had to give any points to students who completely failed to make the potion he had set. How hard was it to make one simple potion that could easily turn out perfect if the students only learned to follow the bloody recipe? Apparently they never bothered to read the potion instructions beforehand otherwise they might have remembered that there were also notes on how to get the perfect potion.

And now he was stuck grading useless potions that could in up killing the people they are supposed to help. The entire thing was just infuriating. Luckily his owl chose that moment to appear and Severus smiled as he took the letter from its leg. He was a little nervous to read the answer Remus had written, but he wasn't too worried since they had already learned of the feelings they held for each other.

He opened the letter and his smile grew into a smirk. Remus had accepted his offer for drinks when their work was done and Severus was sure that it would change to include dinner, since they would both be hungry by then. He glanced over his table and saw that he only had seven more potions to grade.

He grouped them in color and consistency then just copied the words and results to the rest of the potions where it was applicable. Being a potions master required the knowledge to understand why something went wrong with a potion. He knew that the students were always shocked when he pointed out exactly what they did wrong, but they never bothered to wonder how he knew as much as he did.

Even when his potions usually turned out perfect, Severus had forced himself to brew recipes multiple times while keeping notes on how the potion changed. It was one of the reasons why he knew the impact of each known ingredient by heart. As a clock chimed in his office, Severus realized that he had been so absorbed with his thoughts that time had slipped by in the blink of an eye.

He stood up and moved to the secret door that led to his rooms. He was sure that Remus was almost finished with his own work and that gave him just enough time to grab a quick shower. He didn't want Remus to think that it was just a normal drink after work, so he decided to change into more casual clothes.

He sighed slightly. Over the years, only Draco (and then begrudgingly Harry) had realized that his clothes didn't really depict his fashion sense or at least, the lack thereof. The robes he wore on a day-to-day basis had a function and it was the reason why he didn't look as scarred as the rest of the potions masters.

It had been one of the products of his research when he endeavored to create clothes that actually protected the wearer without the need of a protection charm that could easily be broken and tampered with. He could even pour pure acid or basilisk venom on the clothes and it wouldn't seep through to the skin.

Not that many people knew it was his of course. During the production of the clothes, he had opted to keep his name anonymous and the result was that he had needed to come up with another name as a disguise. Much to his embarrassment, he had only been able to think of the name 'Prince' at that moment.

He rolled his eyes at himself. The 'Prince' material line was now something that no potions master went without and it had lately become a popular material to use when school robes were made. Severus shook his head. He now had a second bank account with an ever growing amount of Galleons in it and he could even retire immediately if he wanted to.

He grimaced. If anyone ever found out about it, he was sure that they would either tease him mercilessly, or they would have a heart attack. Not that he would mind the teasing though; it would give him an excuse to show what he had learned during his time under Voldemort's brand of 'care' when he was one of the death eaters.

It may not have been a pleasant time in his life, but he had definitely added numerous new spells to his arsenal and he wasn't afraid to use them on some dunderheads who wouldn't know a dark spell when it hit them, literally.

The thought made Severus grin, but he was interrupted from his musings just as he pulled on an overcoat to cover his clothes. A bright, silver light entered his room and he immediately recognized it was a Patronus. He frowned as he recognized the Dire wolf as Remus' Patronus, but he was frozen in shock as the wolf relayed its message.

 _ **I don't have much time to speak Severus. I don't think I will be able to make it to our date.**_

 _ **Earlier a student came into my class, asking how close I was with Harry. I didn't tell him much since my instincts were screaming that the boy was dangerous.**_

 _ **Nothing happened though, but I just now realized that he had used the Wolf Trance potion. It's enough to knock me out for a week or two, but I used a Bezoar I had in my desk.**_

 _ **I know that he's coming for me and I think he is going to use me to try and lure Harry out. DO NOT LET HARRY OR DRACO FOLLOW THEM! I am leaving my wand wrapped in a letter with instructions on my desk just in case my Patronus can't find you.**_

 _ **I know I probably just wasted a lot of time in explaining all this to you, since you're probably still rooted to the spot in shock, but please don't put yourself in danger for me.**_

 _ **The student's name is, Wayne Wright from Hufflepuff.**_

The Patronus disappeared and Severus felt a blinding fury rise within him. How dare that bloody wolf try and dictate what he should and should not do? They had a date and the wolf was going to keep it whether he wanted to or not. He found himself rushing through the corridors of Hogwarts, towards Remus' class. Fear that he was too late, was building inside him and he cast a Patronus on the run before sending it to Draco.

Harry was probably with him if their looks at each other were to be interpreted correctly, so he didn't even waste time in trying to send another one. The corridors suddenly felt a lot longer than they should have and Severus cursed the fact that apparition wasn't possible within the school. If he ever got his hands on the idiot that designed the wards, then he was sure to give the creator an earful, even if the idiot ended up being one of the four founders.

He finally came to the door of the class. It would have wasted time to stop and open the door, so he just blasted it off its hinges. He would fix it again later, after he saved Remus. He ran inside the class and up to where the office was. The unfortunate door got the same treatment as its brother and he ran inside, only to see Remus on the ground and one of four students holding a portkey that teleported all five of them away. Something that shouldn't even have bloody been possible since they were still inside the wards!

He felt his entire being cry out as he saw that they took Remus with them and his fury built to such a degree that his magic lashed out. Minutes later he came back to his senses and he winced as he saw the state of Remus' office. He quickly set it right and glanced towards the desk where, true to his word, Remus had left his wand.

Fury built inside him again but he squashed it. He knew that Remus had some ability with wandless magic due to him being a werewolf, but what the hell was the stupid wolf thinking by leaving his wand? Severus unfolded the letter wrapped around it and began to read.

 _ **Hey Sev**_

 _ **I know you're probably cursing me for leaving behind my wand, but I didn't want to risk them snapping it. It's hard for werewolves to replace their wands due to the Ministry's laws and I'd rather not live without the use of my magic.**_

 _ **That being said, I hope that you fixed my office after you wrecked it. If not then I will advise doing so now, before you read the rest of this letter…**_

 _ **Are you done? Good. I know I won't be able to give you instructions since you will just do whatever you want, but please relay this message to Harry and Draco.**_

 _ **I want to appoint Harry as the replacement teacher in my absence. Minerva has already spoken about her wish to give him the job when I retire, so why wait?**_

 _ **He would probably want to rush in and save me, but I trust you to contact the Aurors and handle this with more care. Ask Draco to keep an eye on him for me.**_

 _ **I feel like I'm about to lose consciousness. Please don't do anything stupid. I will figure out a way to escape since they don't know that I will be waking up earlier. Moony may even be able to help out in that regard.**_

The letter ended there and Severus had a sneaking suspicion that Remus had been interrupted by his body going almost entirely numb. The loud banging of someone running brought his attention back to the present and he whipped his wand out, only to lower it when he saw the shocked faces of both Harry and Draco.

He nodded, but hid away the letter. Harry would definitely rush of to save his honorary Godfather and he would then probably sacrifice himself in some misguided attempt to safe everyone since his life wasn't important, according to him that is.

He needed a way to keep both Harry and Draco safe at Hogwarts. He frowned at the thought and squashed the anger that was building within him again. Hogwarts couldn't be safe if Remus had just been abducted from within its very walls, but it would be much safer than to allow the men to go after Remus.

He looked at them sternly and pointed to the seats in the office. Both men sat, but stayed quiet. "Now I am about to tell you something, but only if you make a wizard's oath to listen to my words and not go against them. Something has happened to Remus and I will only tell you if you abide by his orders."

Harry definitely didn't want to make the oath and Severus couldn't really blame him, but even he had come to care for the man in one way or another so he refused to allow him to die while trying to save Remus, since it was clear that, that was exactly what the group responsible, wanted. The thought allowed a plan to form and he glared at both Harry and Draco sternly until they nodded and completed the oath.

"You two are to stay here. Draco, you will be taking over for my potions classes. You are the only one, other than I, whom I would trust with this, so please do it diligently." Draco nodded with wide eyes and Severus turned to Harry. "You will take over the DADA classes in Remus' place. Protect the students and the castle."

The young man nodded, but it was clear that he was suspicious. "And what will you be doing? I can guess that you will be leaving this school since you just gave your potions job to Draco, even if it's just temporary." Draco nodded in agreement to the suspicions and Severus sighed. He probably owed them an honest answer since they did perform the wizard's oath.

"I'm going to go get Remus. He left some clues that will enable me to make it easy to find him, but only I will go." The two men wanted to argue, but Severus shook his head. "I need the two of you to do some research and to find out anything you can about Wayne Wright and his family."

The two men looked at each other and then nodded begrudgingly; they had made a promise after all. Harry really looked like he wanted to put up a fight so Severus just sighed. "Harry you're not some superhero that needs to be on call whenever something bad happens. You were forced to act like a grown-up and save the Wizarding world, when it shouldn't have been your fight. Let someone else do the saving for a change."

Severus smirked at the shocked expression on Harry's face, despite the situation. "Yes Harry, I do know what a 'superhero' is. I am a half-blood after all. But I am serious. Neither you nor Draco will be going to find Remus. I will let you know if I found anything." The two men nodded, but Severus felt someone grab his arm as he moved to exit the office.

He looked back and slightly arched an eyebrow as he saw that it was Harry. The thoughtful look on the man's face, told him that the raven had probably come up with a way to get around the orders. "Sorry, but can I ask that you take Blaine with you? That way he can keep us up to date and he can protect you if something happened. He can shrink himself down to a very small size, so you won't even know he's there."

Severus was about to decline the offer, but he hesitated. "I was under the impression that basilisks couldn't do that." The raven-haired man blushed and smiled at him sheepishly.

"They can't usually, but I kind of accidentally overdid it with the shrinking and growing charms in order to keep him hidden and since we bonded, it became something like a gift that he received. It also helped that I had bonded to Leah as well and as a shadow phoenix, I can also change my size. Those two are probably going to kill me for telling you without their permission though."

Severus didn't know what to think, so he just shook his head and decided to file the conversation away for later. They needed to move fast and having a basilisk on his side would help him a lot in unexpected situations. He had been a spy for too long to not see the benefits of the arrangement.

"Fine, I will take him along, but you will have to ensure that he listens to my orders. I can't take him with me if there is a possibility that he could mess up or go against my plans. If that happens it could place both Remus and me in danger." Harry nodded seriously and then made a complicated motion with his hands. A moment later, a 15 centimeter long basilisk was wrapped around his palm. The snake looked up at Harry and nodded before he was handed over onto Severus' outstretched hand.

The two had apparently communicated telepathically and Severus just tried to ignore it. The raven was always breaking through logic and it didn't even shock him anymore. In fact, he actually hoped that it would mean that Draco would also become stronger as a result.

Speaking of his Godson, Severus looked at the blond man. It was extremely obvious that the young man was itching to tell him something, but now wasn't the time, so the older man just nodded in acknowledgement before swiftly turning around and leaving.

He would leave the replacement of the doors to Harry and Draco he thought as he stormed through the castle. Minerva would probably stop him so he just scrawled a quick letter that would be delivered by owl. By the time she received his note, Severus would be out of Hogwarts and on his way to trace the signature of the wand.

He wanted to find the place where the students were hiding Remus, before he contacted the Aurors for help. They weren't really known for their subtlety anymore and they would probably manage to alert the students about their presence nearby before they even saved Remus.

Severus made his way to his rooms and gathered all of the equipment that he would need. Then he left the castle through a hidden short-cut in the dungeons and apparated to Spinners-end. The house itself didn't look like much inside and Severus made his way to the hallway.

He spelled the carpet from the floor and opened that trapdoor that lay beneath it. He climbed down the stairs and then stood silently as he waited for the lights to illuminate the room. The light revealed a large room with a lavish living area that connected to a kitchen. A bed had been placed on the other side of the room and a potions workstation took up the rest of the space in the room.

Severus had built the room when it first became apparent that Voldemort loved to kill his allies just as much as he liked to kill his enemies. The plan had been to fake his death and then changing his appearance, magic and habits completely while he hid out under his house. It would be the last place that they looked and even if they tried to use a trace, the special wards would prevent it.

The thought made Severus frown. He had to move fast to find the wolf before his kidnappers placed him in a location where they would be unable to detect him. Yet one thing bothered Severus about their plan. How did they plan on luring Harry into a trap if he couldn't sense Remus? And if they kept his energy trace open then how would they ensure that Harry didn't supposedly appear with an army of Aurors at his heels?

They couldn't possible think that Harry would go alone if he thought they would kill Remus if he didn't? Severus groaned as he realized that, that was exactly what the raven-haired man would do. He would probably knock them out if he thought that they would stop him. Luckily the Wizards Oath would keep him there at Hogwarts, but since he didn't know what the kidnappers intended to do, Severus knew that he was in for a long night.

 _ **Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**_


	23. Chapter 23 Teachers and Trials

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 23: Teachers and Trials (Draco & Harry)**

Both Harry and Draco couldn't help but feel stumped at the situation they have been dumped into. Harry itched to go rescue his honorary Godfather, but he knew it would do more harm than good with the vow they had made. Draco didn't look like he was faring much better at the thought that Severus had run off to go rescue Remus alone.

"Come Draco, Professor McGonagall will probably call for us any moment now so why don't we head there for now." Draco nodded and Harry took his hand to lead him out of the office. He fixed both doors as they walked and locked the door before heading to the Headmistress' Office.

They barely made it down more than two corridors before they saw a Patronus flying towards them. The cat immediately clued them in on who sent it and they waited for it to come towards them. The cat stopped in front of them and sat down before relaying its message.

 _ **My Patronus will relay its message, depending on whom it finds. If it has managed to stop you before you leave the school, Severus, which I doubt, then I would ask that you reconsider your plans. A few other teachers will accompany you if you still want to go through with it.**_

 _ **But if it reaches Harry or Draco first, then I fear that Severus has already left the school and that means that I do not have any other choice, but to allow you to be the stand-in teachers as Severus requested until he gets back with Remus. I would have done it in a heartbeat if the circumstances were different as well, but I know it the two of you probably never intended to become teachers.**_

 _ **Either way, please meet me in my office. The door will open to you. I will need your opinion on whether or not we should contact the Auror offices. You have worked there and so your experiences may be able to provide some valuable input.**_

Harry and Draco looked at each other as the cat Patronus disappeared. They didn't really have anything else to do so they made their way to Minerva's office. It didn't take long since it was now, way past curfew. They made their way through to what used to be Dumbledore's office.

Minerva sat behind the desk, but both Harry and Draco could see her look up in angst as they approached, before her face fell as the implications dawned on her. She didn't allow it to faze her, however, since she squared her shoulders and stood up before motioning to the seats in front of her desk.

"I take it that Severus has already left the school. I know that you would have stormed out here to rescue Remus as soon as you found out Harry and I know that Draco wouldn't allow his Godfather to go alone, without a reason. So I take it that Severus must have tricked the two of you into making a vow to stay safe." They nodded silently and the headmistress sighed.

"He was always excessively worried about the two of you even when he had to treat Harry like he did. I swear I would ground the man if I could, but his magic is stronger than mine." Minerva got a faraway look on her face before she sharply turned to them. "I will require the two of you to help me hold him when he gets back. That stubborn man has to learn that the war is over and that means that he can't keep on doing as he likes. He may be a Slytherin but he's mean getting more Gryffindor by the day!"

Harry and Draco couldn't help but snicker at the woman's words, but the image of Severus in a Gryffindor uniform would kind of scar them for life. "So you want us to take over the teaching posts Professor?" The cat Animagus nodded. "Yes, I will give you a day to get settled, but that is all I can afford. From now on, please call me Minerva; you are definitely not students here anymore."

The two men nodded. "Here are the schedules and books. I always keep copies for each class, just in case something happens. You never know when a student will accidentally blow up a class or set it on fire. Harry and Draco grimaced. As much as they loved the respective classes, it would really be a bad thing if something like that were to happen.

"Draco, I will require you to take over Severus' other duties as well. He brews potions for the infirmary and also for St Mungo's. Here's a list of the potions and their quantities. I would ask Harry to help you, but we all know how he is with potions." Harry grimaced. It wasn't his fault. Anyone who said that potions were like cooking, seem to forget that at least with cooking you don't blow up an entire room if you accidentally add in a few extra ingredients. Even Salazar had given up on him at some point.

Harry slightly grinned. The Slytherin founder's exact words were _"For the good of mankind, I beseech you to never step into any potion's lab, even again."_ The bloody portrait had even gone so far as to convince Hogwarts herself to lock the doors if he dared to even wander around close to the potions room.

Minerva finished explaining everything as Harry's thought's wandered and as they made their way back to Salazar Slytherin's quarters, they didn't get very far though, as someone chose that moment to stun them from behind before knocking them out.

Harry woke up in an unfamiliar bed with a raging headache and he slowly opened his eyes. He felt the warm presence of someone lying next to him, but hissed speech, made him relax. _~ It's alright Master Ian. Both you and Master Dante are safe. Master Salazar told me that the boys named Jean and Theo are your friends, so I will let them explain. ~_

Harry let out a groan as the words of the emerald snake registered. A pair of arms slowly helped him up and handed him a potion. "Drink this Harry; it will help for the pain. Draco is sleeping next to you; we didn't want to separate the two of you." Harry nodded his thanks as he sniffed the potion before he drank it. He might not be good at potions, but he knew how the main ones smelled.

It was a simple pain potion. "What happened?" Harry opened his eyes to see their two friends standing next to the bed. He really needed answers. "Theo and I were placing a few prank traps when we heard a scuffle and decided to go see what it was. We certainly didn't expect two Gryffindor Seventh-years trying to drag you into their common room. Naturally, we couldn't let that happen so we stunned them and levitated you to our rooms. They're still out cold, so it's up to you on how you want to handle it."

Harry shook his head and sighed. "I'm really going to have to do something about these attacks while Draco and I teach here." He looked next to him and completely missed the look of shock on the faces of both pranksters. "You're going to what?!" Harry turned back to them to explain, but he laughed when he saw their grins.

"No, we will not be letting you get away with any pranks, at least not while we are on duty." The two boys softly laughed, but their heads turned to Draco when he groaned before opening his eyes. He looked around and saw Harry first. "Get me my lawyer Harry."

The rest of the group frowned in confusion. "Why would you need your lawyer Drake?" The Malfoy grimaced, but Harry could see a slight smile forming around his eyes. The blonde looked between them before answering. "I want you to get me my lawyer so that I can sue that bloody Nightbus since it seems like it ran me over."

Harry rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. "We were stunned and almost dragged into the Gryffindor-house rooms and you are cracking jokes. I really need to question your sense of humor on this one." Draco fully grimaced. "Yeah well, you can't be the only weird one in this relationship."

Harry froze at Draco's comment, but Draco just put his hands up. "Hey, what's life if you can't be different?" Harry couldn't help but laugh at this. "So you are saying that you would rather be considered different than anything else?"

Draco thought for a second them grimaced. "Yeah, on second thought, I think I will leave being different to you. I have a reputation to uphold after all." Harry Jean and Theo couldn't help but laugh at this and Draco pulled out his trademark smirk. A muffled groan wiped the laughter from the room though and everyone turned serious.

"I guess we'll have to go see why the Gryffindors were trying to kidnap their idol." Harry grimaced at Draco's words. But they got off the bed and moved to the door anyway. The two lions paled when they saw them and Harry couldn't help but give them an evil smirk. Draco suddenly bumped him lightly on the shoulder. "You better stop that or I might just leave the torturing to our friends so that I can drag you up to our room."

Harry bumped him back but he had seen how the two lions paled even more, at the mention of torture. "As much as I would love that Drake, I think we need to teach the students about what happens when they attack their teachers at Hogwarts." The two students start to thrash about in denial until Jean canceled the silencing spell that had been placed on them.

They immediately started talking together. "We're sorry, we didn't know. Mark Dillon forced us to do as he said. He caught us nicking stuff from Filch's office and he threatened to tell him about it if we didn't do as he said. We didn't want to get on Filch's bad side, so when he explained that we just had to take you so that the Gryffindors can make sure that you aren't under some kind of love spell."

Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "They are speaking the truth." He lowered his hand and looked at the Gryffindors. "You are going to return the things you stole, even if you have to do it anonymously. But before that, how about we find out exactly what is going on."

He looked at Draco and the blonde nodded before they both turned to look at the two boys. "What are your names?" The two lions answered without a pause. "My name is Gary Newton…and my name is Troy Pion." Harry nodded as he wondered why the names seemed so familiar. It only took a moment before he started laughing.

Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy but he just shook his head and waited until he could catch his breath. "You mean to say that the two of you were the students that thought you could steal a dragon egg by transfiguring yourselves into dragons?" The two boys nodded in embarrassment as the rest of their group broke out in laughter.

Draco lightly slapped a lion on the back. "I must admit, we all thought that was a great prank, but no one knew who did it until we heard about two snakes chasing a bunch of Gryffindors around while the Gryffindors were actually shrieking like a couple of girls. Professor McGonagall came into the Great Hall and changed you back and we heard you got detention for an entire year."

Gary grimaced. "Yeah, we didn't know at that time that it is impossible to change yourself into a legendary magical creature through transfiguration. We actually tried to ask our friends to change us back, but they were so scared of us that they didn't even stop to wonder why two snakes would be in the Great Hall. Now we're both registered as an Animagus, but the snake form stuck."

Harry shook his head at the pleased smiles on the Slytherins' faces. It didn't take a mind reader to know that they found the situation extremely fitting, but they had to get back to the problem at hand. "I want the two of you to 'kidnap' us like you were going to do, but this time we won't be stunned. We will all have a shield charm on us, just for in case."

Draco nodded, but the two lions looked slightly scared. "What if they do something to you?" Draco laughed before Harry could answer. "We have been trained as Aurors you know and we were both in the position to become Head Auror before we quit, so I am pretty sure we can handle ourselves."

The two lions nodded and Theo canceled the binding spell before handing them back their wands. Harry placed a hand on each shoulder. "Next time someone tries to blackmail you, just come to us, we can help. And if there are any other students that you know are being blackmailed or bullied, then please let us know so we can help." The two boys sighed as Troy spoke up. "There are a few Gryffindors that has been following him, but not out of free will. We try to warn all first years to stay away from him, but it doesn't always work until it's too late."

Harry nodded, but a hissing voice suddenly interrupted his thought. _~ Harry, can you hear me? ~_ Harry stepped back from the two lions and allowed his eyes to glaze over. _~ I hear you, Blaine, are you okay? What about Severus? Has he made any progress? ~_

Harry wanted to worry, but the excited tone in Blaine's voice told him plenty. _~ Yes snakeling, we are both doing well. Severus has found the trail and we tracked it to a small manor house not too far from Hogwarts. It seems like the students were trying to stay at a place where nobody would even think to look. We wouldn't have found it if your Godfather hadn't left his wand behind though. How are things over there? ~_

Harry bit back a grimace as he relayed everything that happened since the duo had gone in search for Remus. _~ Please tell Severus that we won't allow anything to happen to Draco and that you two must stay safe. ~_ The snake scoffed at the words but passed the message on anyway. Harry waited for a little until he felt Blaine in his mind again.

It was clear that the snake had found something amusing because he snickered before he spoke. _~ The potions master says that you better look after yourself as well otherwise Remus will skin him alive and if you don't then he will revive you before killing you himself and then chopping you up for potion ingredients. ~_

Harry couldn't help but laugh despite the fact that he knew Severus could actually be quite serious. He looked at Draco and nodded to indicate that the blonde's Godfather was alright. "They found him, now they have to wait for the right time to strike."

He turned to Jean and Theo. "Can I ask you to gather a medicine bag for us while we face the Gryffindors? A friend of ours could get hurt and I want us to be able to go help him as soon as possible." The two pranksters nodded and immediately made their way to the infirmary.

Harry then turned to Gary and Troy. "Come on, the sooner we get this over and done with, the better." They nodded and walked again while he quickly grabbed Draco by the hand to pull him close. The blonde's arms immediately encircled his waist in return and they kissed hungrily. They kept their arms around each other as they came up for air. Draco jerked his head towards the door and Harry took a deep breath before he nodded.

He really wanted to tell Draco to be careful, but he knew the man could handle himself extremely well, so he just followed him out. They stopped at a secret alcove hidden close to the Gryffindor entrance. "I need the two of you to casually chat in front of the entrance, then when we walk past, mouth 'stupefy' as if you are whispering the spell, but keep your wands hidden so that no one will notice that your wands didn't flare up with a spell."

The two boys nodded, but Harry could see the fear in their faces. They didn't seem to like the idea. They moved to their positions and Harry pulled Draco back to wait for a few minutes. "You know, I forgot to tell you earlier, but Blaine and Leah told me that I can teach you the ancient magicks if you and Cyan want to, even though Cyan might have his own brand of magicks to teach you. Where is Cyan by the way?"

Draco softly laughed. "Cyan seems to be charmed with Leah. I think it's because he didn't have any companions when my parents locked him away. I don't want anyone to see him so I think Leah decided to keep him company." Harry nodded with a smile before checking the time. He then cast a shield around them as they stepped out of the alcove.

They walked past the two Gryffindors and when they saw the boys flick their wands, Harry and Draco both collapsed as if stupefied. Gary and Troy cast a levitation spell on them and levitated them into the common room where the bullies were sitting and taunting a few first years. Harry expanded his magic and focused it on his ears so that he could determine exactly what was going on.

"Call the entire house into the common room." The other students jumped up to follow their orders and Mark stepped over to kick Draco in the face. It took every strand of willpower that Harry had, not to jump up and curse the boy, but he knew that the shield would have absorbed the blow before it even touched him.

The rest of the students filed in and gasps were heard as they noticed the two people lying on the floor. Mark apparently didn't like it. "Be quiet and listen up. Harry Potter would never date a snake, let alone his arch-rival, so Draco must have somehow cursed him or slipped him a love potion. Now I intend to show this by casting the counter-curse and the Harry Potter will be on our side once again."

Harry mentally rolled his eyes. Mark Dillon apparently didn't remember that they have been stupefied, but it played into his plans so he didn't make a move until he heard Mark shout 'Finite Incantatum'. He jumped up and stupefied the boy while Draco stupefied his followers.

 _ **Thank you for reading. I'm sorry this chapter took so long. The university rush regarding editing is finally over so now I can concentrate on bringing you chapters again.**_


	24. Chapter 24 Contagious Stupidity

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 24: Contagious Stupidity (Draco / Harry)**

Draco stood back as he watched Harry face the Gryffindor crowd. It still angered him that the boy named Mark Dillon could be so stupid to attack other students, but in a way, it didn't surprise him much. There was nothing remarkable about the boy. A little digging after their revelation in the Great Hall had allowed him to realize that the only thing that kept the boy and his lackeys from fading into the walls, was the fact that they really enjoyed being bullies.

In Slytherin, they would have been dealt with swiftly but gracefully. Most Slytherin students learn early on about how to change a story in such a way that it could benefit them. And if your own family didn't have the necessary power to make it happen, then you made sure that you aligned yourself with someone who could.

It was painfully clear that Gryffindor house had no such systems in place and one feud could easily divide the entire house into multiple sections, each with their own agenda, even if they had nothing to do with the problem in the first place. A loud sound echoed through the room and Draco smirked when he saw the entire house fall silent.

Draco leaned against the wall as Harry called everyone's attention. "As always, some of you may believe the stories that were spread and so I myself will reveal that I am under no curse, potion or outside influence whatsoever." Draco leaned forward slightly as Harry twirled his wand around his head before dragging it down his body and saying " _S_ _imiliter_ _R_ _evelare_ _",_ which roughly translated to 'Reveal enchantments'.

Not many people knew about the spell since it mostly had its origins in the darker side of magic, but it was an excellent spell for revealing any and all foreign effects on the caster's magic and body. The light around Harry's body glowed white and Harry nodded in acceptance before speaking. "When that spell is cast, it tests everything about the caster. As you can see, the pure white shows that I am under absolutely no enchantments. Now I ask that you bring the rest of Mark Dillon's group forward."

At first, nobody moved and Draco shook his head. Here the so-called 'Savior' was, that they hailed, but apparently, the blind worship that they usually showed, was completely superficial. So Draco decided to stir things a bit. "Hey Harry, what happened to Gryffindors being brave and loyal? As far as I know, the entire Wizarding world owes you a life-debt and yet here they are, unable to give up people who were actually trying to harm you. No wonder you came to Slytherin, at least there you know who to trust."

Draco smirked when Harry gave him an exasperated look, but he could clearly see the humor dancing in the raven's eyes. Harry knew exactly what he was trying to do and it also had the desired effect. Three students were immediately pushed to the front. Draco looked them over before catching Harry's eye and shaking his head. Harry motioned for the three students to stand over by Gary and Troy. "I am going to ask you a question and I expect a truthful answer." The three students nodded. "Are you being blackmailed by either Mark Dillon or his group to make you follow him?"

All three girls nodded, but Harry motioned for one of the girls to go stand on the other side of the room near Mark. He then turned back to the other two. "Stay right where you are. The four of you were blackmailed by Mark Dillon and so I shall speak to you about your punishment." The two girls became even paler than they previously were, but Gary and Troy each placed a hand on their shoulder and smile at them reassuringly.

Harry turned to the third girl. "I asked you to answer truthfully and yet you lie to me. You willingly helped them and you will be punished for it." Harry turned back to the two girls and Draco just had enough time to turn his head as he saw the bright light of a spell rushing towards Harry. It looked like a severe cutting curse and Draco tried to cast a shield to stop it, but it collided harmlessly with another protective shield that was suddenly cast around Harry.

Draco quickly subdued the girl and then looked around for the source of the shield until Harry let out a laugh. "Oh Dennis, you look like you're as accident prone as always." A tall boy stepped out from between the Gryffindors. He smiled at Harry before looking around at the tied up students. It looked like he had gone a round with Buckbeak and lost. "Not more than usual. I am kind of hiding from Madam Pomfrey at the moment. I'll be stuck in the infirmary for weeks if she finds me."

Harry nodded. "I thought as much. Follow us when we're done here so that we can get those wounds looked at." The boy nodded eagerly, but Draco could see a shadow of sadness cross Harry's face. Draco knew that Harry would probably never forgive himself for Collin Creevey's death. He would not allow himself to see that despite the fact that Dennis had missed an entire school year in order to mourn his brother, the boy and his father never blamed Harry for the loss.

Draco's attention snapped back to the wounds on Dennis' body and he just mentally shook his head. So that was why Harry ordered Jean and Theo to get the First-aid kit. He knew that they would be meeting Dennis here and he also suspected that the boy had done something to get himself hurt again. The boy was literally a walking human target and he looked like he had just come from fighting off one of the half-giant's creatures.

Harry looked towards their captives and Draco wondered what was going on inside the man's mind. It wouldn't be the first time that Harry let someone off easy after they tried to kill him, and Draco often took it upon himself to ensure that the guilty parties paid. He felt himself relax as Harry set his jaw. It meant that the raven intended to follow through with his plans.

The blonde watched as the dark-haired man walked over to the guilty group and he couldn't stop himself from silently laughing as Harry's next words registered in his mind. "So you think you can attack two teachers of Hogwarts and get away with it?" Draco grinned evilly as he saw the shocked expressions and also heard the exclamations of shock as the words registered.

The girl fiercely glared at Harry. "I don't see any teachers here, all I see is a disgusting snake and a Gryffindor that seems content to betray his own house." One of the other boys tried to silence the girl, but it was clear that she seemed to be intent on digging her own grave. "Why would you date a boy and even worse, Draco Malfoy of all people, when you can get any girl you want? Hell, you can even have five girls and nobody would care. So I am giving you a chance to make it up to me now, otherwise you might find that you will be losing a very dear family member of yours."

Both Harry and Draco grimaced in disgust at the girl's words, but then the last part registered and Draco realized that the girl had a pendant in her hand that felt suspiciously like a portkey. The girl shook her head in mock sadness. "You will regret this day Harry, and Draco will as well, but we might be able to get you out from whatever piece of magic he is using to bind you. For now, it's goodbye." Both boys rushed forward, but the girl muttered the keyword and disappeared in a flash.

Draco felt sick when he realized that the girl was probably a part of the group that took Remus. He looked at Harry and the man nodded before closing his eyes and contacting Severus. Draco looked around the room. "I will be filling in as your Potions teacher and Harry will be filling in as your DADA teacher until our Godfathers get back. I would recommend that you do all the necessary reading before you enter our classes since we will be giving detentions for unfinished work, no matter what house we are in. It is also recommended that you spread the word among the rest of the houses."

Harry opened his eyes again and they levitated Mark and his group to the Headmistress' office. Gary, Troy, and Dennis followed them along with the two girls. It really wasn't a surprise when they saw that she was still in her office. She seemed to be preparing for her next class since she set down a few odd things on her table as they walked in.

She took one glance at the crowd and sighed. "You two have barely been teachers for an hour and already you are stirring up trouble." Her stern voice carried through the office and everyone except Harry, Draco and Dennis paled. Instead, Harry just laughed sheepishly before speaking. "Yes well, I have been told that I attract danger, so is it really such a surprise?"

The headmistress smiled before conjuring seats for them. "Now why, may I inquire, do you have Mark Dillon and his friends in body-binds?" Harry sat down and started explaining and Draco could see the anger on her face as she looked the group over. The silence stretched after Harry finished speaking and Minerva nodded to herself as if coming to a conclusion.

"Mark Dillon, Liam Villiers and Jake Silf, you are hereby suspended for the rest of the year. I cannot condone bullying, attacking teachers and endangering the lives of numerous students as acceptable. You will only be allowed back at this school if you can clean up your act." The shocked faces of the students followed her as she summoned their things from their rooms before sending out an urgent message to their parents. "I can't allow you to stay in this school until tomorrow since you have proven that you are likely to hurt someone due to your twisted reasoning."

A few livid looking parents stepped through the floo and the group was immediately taken home by their respective parents. It was only after they had gone that Draco realized that the students still had the body-bind spell on them. Minerva turned to Gary, Troy and the two girls, whose names seemed to be Selena and Dianna. "I still have to punish you for not going to a teacher when you saw that things were getting out of hand."

The students looked like they were about to receive the death sentence, but Minerva shook her head. "Your punishment will be that you need to keep an eye on the rest of your housemates for me. I do not want something like this happening again and if anyone asks, then you tell them that you have been given detention with Professor Malfoy as punishment."

The students eagerly nodded before Minerva motioned for them to head back to their common rooms, which they did eagerly, but Troy and Gary stopped at the door. "Harry-uhm, Professor Potter and Professor Malfoy?" Draco looked at them in surprise. He hadn't expected the Gryffindors to address him so politely.

"Thank you for believing us and listening to our side of the story. We really thought we were done for when your friends stunned us. Please call us if there is anything we can help you with and could you ask Jean and Theo if we could hang out sometime? We would really like their thoughts on a few things." Harry and Draco nodded and their eyes followed the two out the door. Draco looked back to see a grinning Dennis. "It seems you've found your first Gryffindor admirers."

Draco tried to scoff, but it sounded more like an exasperated sigh. If anyone had told him that Gryffindors would start making friends with Slytherins when he took the mission, he would have had them admitted to ST. Mungos. And yet, here he was.

He looked at Harry and motioned to Dennis, but apparently, the headmistress also saw the motion. "I see that you have not yet had a chance to go see Madam Pomfrey, Mr. Creevey, should I ask someone to accompany you? They laughed as Dennis paled and moved to back out of the door, but Harry saved him. "No need, we will patch him up, we'll walk him back to Gryffindor tower afterwards."

She smiled as they filed out of her office, but something seemed to come to mind because she suddenly stopped them. "Harry and Draco, please wait for a moment." They paused and looked at her. "Here are the directions to your new rooms. I wanted to give you Severus and Remus' rooms, but I thought you would feel better when you have your own. They have been placed next to each other for safety sake." The nodded before taking the parchment and following its directions until they came to a blank wall.

Draco tapped the needed stones before speaking the password and they entered into what seemed to be a common room. Harry looked around and spotted a door with his name on the one side and a door with Draco's name on the other. They decided to check out Draco's rooms first and they were surprised to find an entire apartment decked out in neutral colors. Whenever Draco wanted something in a different color, Hogwarts somehow granted the request.

Harry's rooms were much the same, except he had an added kitchen. It seemed to be for when the cooking mood struck him and he grinned before turning to Dennis. "Let's get you patched up." They sat in the common room and Harry quickly healed the numerous bruises and cuts that Dennis had acquired. But Harry turned serious when he looked at his old friend. "Now be honest with me. Are you still using the 'exchange injury' spell that you created?" Dennis wrung his hands slightly and Harry sighed.

"I know you want to help people, but taking their injuries onto yourself is dangerous. You might afflict yourself with a curse meant for someone else if you're not careful." Dennis looked kind of sheepish, but Harry shook his head. "I know you like helping where you can, but you can't go into a healing profession if you are going to get yourself harmed in the process. Healers should know their limits."

Dennis looked to Draco for help, but the blond shook his head. "Harry is right. There are a few nasty curses that can get transferred that way." Dennis nodded then sighed. "Fine, I won't overuse this spell. I'll only use it when I have to." Harry smiled. "Now I can teach you an easy healing spell that would help to curb this urge of yours."

Dennis started smiling along with him. "You mean that you are going to teach me a spell that will heal without the effect of transferring the injuries?" Harry nodded. "Yes, it may take slightly longer to heal, but it works well. Not many people know this spell since I found it in some old archives in the Black house. It's called 'Heal all' and its incantation is ' _Omnia sanandum'_. You do the wand movement like this." Harry showed him the wand movement and before he got up and returned to his dorm.

Harry turned to Draco. "So I guess it's time to go sleep." Draco nodded, but neither of them made any move to head to their bedrooms. Harry looked at Draco and decided to make use of his 'Gryffindor courage'. "Draco…if you don't mind…" Draco looked up and Harry could swear that he saw hope in the blonde's eyes. "Can I uhm… can I sleep with you? I know it's probably too soon, but I don't think that I will be able to sleep even if you are a room away. I don't want you disappearing as well." Even though it was the truth, it was also an excuse and Draco knew this, but who was he to deny something that he wanted as well?

Draco smiled and nodded. "Sure, I think we need to stay close. We don't know what the enemy is planning. Are you going to contact Blaine and Severus while I grab a quick shower?" Harry nodded and the blonde gathered his things before heading to the bathroom. Harry sat down on the couch and closed his eyes before concentrating.

 _~ Hey, Blaine, how are things going there? ~_ It was silent for a few minutes before he received an answer. ~ _Hey, we are safe, but I smelled blood a little while ago so we are proceeding with caution. We are outside the building that master Remus is in, but we heard a faint scream earlier. It sounded like a woman. Severus says that he intends to get Remus out after midnight since the security grows lax here around that time. ~_ Harry felt worried, but he squished it. Severus survived years of spying on Voldemort and there was no way that a few students will be able to beat him.

 _~ Thank you, Blaine. Please let me know if anything happens. It appears that there are quite a few students with secrets in Hogwarts. ~_ Blaine hissed his agreement but before the telepathic connection could shut down, Harry heard a loud roar accompanied by screams. He could hear Severus' voice mingling with Blaine's, but he could make no sense of what was being said. The link closed and no matter what he did, he couldn't open it again. Which meant only one thing…Blaine was purposely keeping the connection closed for some reason.

Draco came out of the bathroom after seemingly forgetting something and he immediately saw that something was wrong. He grabbed Harry and pulled him to the bathroom where he stripped them down before dragged him into the shower. Harry could hardly think straight as he tried to figure out what happened. Draco pulled him close and held him before washing them both and getting out.

Harry could feel Draco drying him off, but he was still unable to return to reality. The blond was starting to get worried, but he couldn't bring himself to ask about the details. Few things shook Harry up like he was and if even a shower couldn't shake the man from his thoughts, then something was definitely wrong.

Harry got dressed on auto-pilot and Draco took his hand and dragged him to the bed. At first, he intended to stay on his own side, but seeing Harry's unresponsive face, prompted him to drag the man into his arms. "It's going to be ok Harry, whatever it is. Blaine is strong and Remus and Severus are as well. Whatever you heard, I am very sure that they are alright."

He held Harry until his breathing finally evened out and even then he didn't want to let him go. It bothered him that he didn't know why Harry was upset and he really hoped that Blaine and their Godfathers were alright. A faint cry alerted him that Leah and Cyan had entered the room and I motioned for them to stay silent. "I don't know what's going on, but we will find out in the morning." The two nodded and Draco felt himself losing the battle with sleep. Trust Harry to make sure that most, if not all, days are eventful.

 _ **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the update.**_

 _ **(Remus' view will be next.)**_


	25. Chapter 25 Don't Touch the Fur

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 25: Don't touch the fur (Remus)**

At first, he heard, felt and saw nothing. But the memories of what happened calmed him and he forced himself to stay as still as possible. He still heard nothing, but the smell of the place alerted him to a fact that they were in a place that wasn't visited often, if even at all.

He still couldn't move his body and he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to move it for another hour. Remus just hoped that the students did not intend to torture him while he is still unable to move. Voices reached him and he stayed deathly still. The door opened and Wayne stepped in, at least from what Remus could tell by his smell.

"The wolf hasn't moved at all, that's good. According to the place I got the stuff from, it will knock him out for about a week. That will allow us more than enough time to wait for Potter to appear and as an added bonus the wolf will be extremely weak after not eating or drinking anything for that long, which will make him easy to kill without him fighting back if he doesn't join us."

The boy moved over to him and he fought the instinct to growl. "It would have been nice to have another slave, but we need comrades instead. Oh well, we'll have Potter for that. I'm very sure that Draco will allow us to play with his toy as well after we've helped him." Moony growled inside his. As if Draco would really do that to Harry.

"But Draco looked really happy having him for himself even though Potter ruined his life as well. He doesn't even know that we're doing this so shouldn't we inform him and get him on our side first?" Remus relaxed. If they contact Draco, he might be able to capture them, but they seemed to be extremely delusional.

The Hufflepuff spoke again. "We can't tell him unless we get him out from whatever potion or spell that Potter has him under if he is being influenced by something. He is our prince and we are obligated to help him. Potter not only ruined our families, but he also did something to Draco and that is why we are luring him here. He will try to save his Godfather and I'm sure that killing or fake-killing Professor Lupin in front of him will break him. Then we can force him to tell us the spell before we break him even further. We will give him to Draco as a slave since he had wronged our prince the most."

Hurried footsteps neared the room before what sounded to be a girl stood in the doorway. "My cover has been blown. Malfoy and Harry came into the Gryffindor common room and taught the group I was in, a lesson. I barely escaped with the portkey. It seems the wards around Hogwarts really are practically useless now. It seems like Malfoy is turning Harry dark enough to turn on his own house. I can't wait to have him as mine."

As soon as the woman said that, Remus heard the sound of a big gust of wind before a loud thud hit the other side of the wall and an angry Hufflepuff lost his patience. "Potter will never be yours, you useless woman. That privilege belongs to Draco. You've proven yet again that you are too useless to do anything right, but I will give you one last chance. Guard the wolf even though he won't be waking up for another four days. I am going to go have a talk with my father about what has happened."

With that, the three boys left. He could feel the woman look at him, but instead of staying, she stormed out and shut the door. It seemed like she would be guarding him from outside. He opened his eyes and looked around the room before grinning evilly to himself. They really couldn't have chosen a worse place to keep a werewolf.

Moony whined and Remus wondered why it sounded like he was in pain. A splitting pain suddenly shot up through his spine and he looked down to see his hands turning into paws, but after the splitting pain, he was suddenly shifting into his wolf form easier than ever. He didn't feel any other pain and he felt elated. The only problem was that it wasn't full moon yet.

The sound of a door opening drew his attention and he saw the woman entering before she screamed. His mind screamed out a stupefy and he was shocked to see that it actually worked as she hit the floor out cold. He couldn't really process it and his wolf shouted for him to run since the girl's scream must have alerted the others.

He paused to try and figure out whether he should jump out the window that seemed to be laced with silver, or if he should just quickly make his way to the front door. "Sectumsempra!" He jumped at the sound of someone shouting a spell and fortunately, it mostly missed him, or so he thought. Moony let out a loud roar and attacked the boy without a second thought, luckily the boy stepped back and tripped over a piece of the rug before falling down and hitting his head. Remus realized that the boy was out cold and so he left him. He really didn't want to be a murderer. He started seeing black spots as he looked to where the curse hit him.

Slashes had opened up all over his body and his legs. His body shook as he collapsed and he struggled to look up as Wayne and his last friend came into the room with their wands pointed at him. "Oh Professor, I didn't know werewolves could shift outside the moon-cycle. I would have loved to run a few experiments to find out why, but it seems like you are going to die since the only one who knows the counter-curse is Professor Snape and he's back at Hogwarts."

Remus saw his vision dim as his blood poured out of him. It really was ironic that Severus' spell would kill him after they just made up. The boy sneered and lifted his wand. "Cruc…" Remus waited for the pain, but instead, he heard a deeper voice shout a few spells. "Expelliarmis, Stupefy, Immobulus." He tried to open his eyes, but they grew heavy as footsteps rushed towards him. He heard a softly whispered spell, but couldn't make out what it was as his wounds closed.

Another spell forced him to turn back into his human form and a second later a potion was forced past his lips. He almost gagged at the taste of the blood-replenishing potion but swallowed it none the less. Remus forced his eyes open and he almost flinched at the mix of anger and relief that he saw in Severus' face. A hissing sound drew his attention to the miniature basilisk that was currently draped around the man's neck.

His body finally realized that he was safe and he closed his eyes in order to sleep, but Severus forced him awake. "You have a concussion, please stay awake. Blaine, contact Harry and tell him where we are. He will be able to find us through your bond. Ask him to bring the Aurors as well." The snake nodded and set about his task.

Severus turned his attention back to him. "The strategic part of me applauds your way of thinking, but the other side of me currently wants to kill you and then revive you before locking you in a room where nobody can ever harm you again." Remus flinched. He did enjoy the possessive sound in Severus' voice, but getting locked up in a room would drive him insane. He understood that Severus was angry, but he didn't expect him to be this angry.

Severus' face softened a bit and he easily picked up the wolf even though he protested. "Don't bother with trying to change my mind. You are hurt and I need to get you back to the castle. From now on you will be sleeping in my rooms even if I have to transfigure another bed in the spare room for myself." Remus looked to the side as he heard the sound of multiple apparitions. Harry immediately ran up to them, followed by Draco. The Aurors moved to secure the four teens.

"Severus, Remus! Are you okay?" They stopped in front of them but Remus could see that as much as Harry wanted to hug him, he knew it wasn't safe until Remus had been checked out by Madam Pomfrey…eh, Poppy. He smiled at him. "I'm alright, just give me a bed and a night's rest and then I will take those classes off your hands tomorrow." He barely finished the words before three glares turned his way.

Harry spoke first. "If you think that we will allow you back to work before two weeks are over then you must have been injured more than we thought." Severus nodded before he spoke. "That is why he will be sleeping in my quarters so that I can keep an eye on him. I will take over his classes in the meantime."

Draco and Harry's glares turned to the potions master much to Remus' surprise. Draco put his hands on his hips and glared at his Godfather. "You're not off the hook either Sev. What's with you running off like a bloody Gryffindor?" Twin 'hey's' followed his words but he ignored both Harry and Remus. "We all know that you are powerful, why did you have to try and prove it by going after Remus alone. We could have helped you and yet you confined us to the castle with a vow. If you ever do that again I promise I will break that vow and come after you even if it kills me to do so."

Severus glared at Draco when he replied. "Who is acting like the bloody Gryffindor now?" But before he could say something further, Harry yanked the blonde around to face him and Remus could see the blonde gulp as he saw the anger in Harry's eyes. "If you dare to even think that again I will lock you away in a room where only I can find you and where you can't find a reason for hurting yourself!"

A second or two passed where everyone was deathly silent before Remus and Severus actually burst into laughter. Both Draco and Harry were silent since they had never ever seen Severus laugh and it was shocking how it transformed his face. Harry then looked at them. "I didn't realize that I was making a joke."

Remus waved it off. "It's just that you said something that someone else kind of mentioned. Can we go back now? I want to get that check-up done so that I can actually have something other than a potion-induced coma." The other three looked at him blankly and he rolled his eyes. "I want to sleep! Such a transformation takes a lot out of you, you know."

Harry and Draco gaped at him. "You transformed without a full moon? How did you do that?" Remus just shrugged, but Blaine hissed and Harry paled. Remus could feel the apprehension running through Harry's veins and as soon as they made sure that the Aurors had everyone, they apparated.

They entered Severus' rooms after Remus was declared completely healthy by Poppy and Remus saw Harry giving Draco a meaningful look which caused the boy to also become pale. Severus saw this as well and he ordered the two to sit down, which they did without any fight.

Harry looked guiltily at Remus, but he received a small smile in return. "Harry, please tell me what happened to enable this? I don't feel the threat of the moon anymore even though I still have my senses. What did you do?" Harry looked slightly scared and that scared Remus and Severus even more. "I uhm, it was nothing, it was an accident. I was stupid and didn't take everything into account and…" His speech was interrupted when Draco hugged him.

Now Remus actually felt dread crawl in his stomach. "Harry you know you can tell me anything. Please, you're scaring me and probably Severus too, even if he won't admit it." The man in question glared at Remus, but he sighed and nodded at Harry. Harry looked at the blonde and Draco nodded as well, which caused Harry to sigh and slowly look up at them.

"In my second year, I faced Voldemort's Horcrux. He used Ginny's life-force to come back and she was almost gone. Long story short, he forced Slytherin's monster to attack me, which just happened to be a basilisk and during the fight, it stabbed me with a fang while I stabbed it with Gryffindor's sword. Fawkes healed it before I could die and that's why I have basilisk venom and phoenix tears running around in my veins."

Severus and Remus looked slightly sick at the thought of a 12-year-old boy being attacked by a basilisk, but it still didn't explain things so they kept that rant for later. Harry paused, but Draco took his hand and squeezed it, much to the secret relief of the two Godfathers who knew that the two men had been pining after one another.

Harry slightly gulped then spoke further as he looked at Remus. "As you know, Draco and I went undercover as first years and we came to you on the night of your transformation." Both Severus and Remus stiffened slightly as they realized that they might know what happened, but Remus was puzzled since Harry hadn't been injured at all.

"Well, I wanted Draco to stay outside the shack since I have helped Moony numerous times before, but unfortunately I kind of…uhm…I didn't calculate the fact that I was in an 11-year-old's body and Moony kind of sideswiped me since he probably didn't know that it was me." A cross between a growl and a whine left Moony's lips and he jumped up.

Harry could see that Moony was out and so he allowed the wolf to check him over for injuries. Severus and Draco seemed to instinctively know that they shouldn't interfere. When Moony was satisfied that his cub was fine, Remus' eyes returned to normal and he practically crushed Harry in a hug.

"Please Remus, I know this is hard and it wasn't your fault. I should have alerted you to the fact that it was me and not some intruder." The wolf nodded and reluctantly let him go before they sank down in their seats again. Severus automatically grabbed Remus closer and both Harry and Draco had to fight to stop themselves from grinning. It was clear that Severus didn't even realize what he was doing.

They all returned their attention to Harry. "Where was I? Oh yes. Draco stopped you with his merged form and he helped me. He cast a diagnostics spell and when he saw that the werewolf venom wasn't acting like it usually would, he realized that only dragon's blood or basilisk venom could counter it, yet both are deadly on their own as well. So the basilisk venom in my blood stopped the transformation, but Blaine mentioned earlier that he smelled basilisk venom and phoenix tears in your blood as well."

The potions master looked at Remus as realization dawned on his face and Harry nodded. "Yes, when Remus scratched me open, some of my blood must have mixed in with the wounds he already had on his hands since he had been clawing to get out of the room. The basilisk venom must have neutralized the werewolf venom and the phoenix tears kept the basilisk venom from killing him. I think that Remus will only have a wolf Animagus form now, even if it will be a much larger than average wolf."

No one but Remus dared to speak as the realization sunk in. "I have never been able to have an Animagus form since my wolf took up that space. Are you telling me that I could shift into a wolf now and it would only be an Animagus?" Harry nodded, but he cautioned him as well. "Yes but Moony might not be completely gone."

Remus shrugged. "Moony and I have made peace long ago and the only trouble was the forced full moon transformations." Harry smiled and motioned for him to continue, which caused Severus to glare at him. "I do not think Remus should attempt it tonight. It would be better if he rested first." This caused Remus to shake his head and smile.

"It seems that we both got lucky eh Harry? It's just creepy that they're both Slytherins." Harry and Remus laughed at the affronted looks on Draco and Severus' faced before Remus concentrated and shifted into his Animagus form. He was a beautiful rust colored wolf with random markings on his fur. He quickly changed back with a huge smile, but he turned towards Severus first.

"How did you know that you could use the spell to take me out of that form?" Severus frowned. "I didn't know that it was you since you looked different from your usual werewolf form and it was outside the full moon cycle. I thought someone else was also kidnapped and that my spell had been cast on them. They were in an animal form so I cast the spell to see who it is. I was shocked when I saw that it was you."

Severus then faced Harry. "You really are either very lucky or very unlucky. You just cured Remus of his curse." He then turned to Draco. "You will be showing me this merged form of yours so that I can be certain that it doesn't harm you." Draco nodded. He seemed too shocked to do anything else.

There was a knock on the door and Harry opened it. He was very surprised to see Tonks. She grimly smiled at him. "Hi Harry, I know that you and Malfoy aren't Aurors anymore, but I need your help. We interrogated the prisoners and it seems like there is an entire family out to get you. We need the two of you on the job immediately. The one boy also spoke about some kind of important book that you have, please bring that along since it will serve as bait. They are all in one place at the moment so we have to strike within an hour or two." She left and Harry and Draco stared at each other. Was this ever going to end?

 _ **Thank you for reading.**_

 _ **I am currently busy with a one-shot, so please tell me…Harry, Draco, and Severus or just Harry and Draco?**_


	26. Chapter 26 It all comes to a close

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 **Chapter 26: It all comes to a close (Harry)**

Harry and Draco looked at Tonks as she left before turning their attention to their godfathers. Harry really wanted to make sure that Remus got back to the castle safely, but he knew that Severus would take care of it.

The potions master nodded in understanding before holding onto Remus more tightly and apparating back to Hogwarts. Harry turned to pick up Blaine before following Draco out of the house. They found Tonks waiting for them outside along with a few other Aurors.

Harry mentally sent a message to Leah to bring the book and she quickly flashed to him with it in her claws. Neither Harry nor Draco had expected Cyan to follow her though. Harry was about to tell Leah that she should go back to the castle, but Draco grabbed his arm and shook his head before speaking. "We could use them for support from the air and they can keep a lookout on whether things are safe or not."

Harry thought for a moment then nodded before he turned to Leah again. "Leah, can the two of you keep watch from the air? We don't know what kind of trap we could be walking into." Leah chirped as she landed on his shoulder and Cyan circled Draco.

They looked around as they noticed that the Aurors had become very quiet and Harry could see that their mouths were practically hanging open at the sight of the two flyers. Harry just shook his head and nudged Tonks in order to shake her loose from her shock. "Are we going to get going?" Tonks nodded and took out what seemed to be a pendant.

"This portkey will take us to a spot just outside the castle wards. We have curse-breakers waiting for us there already." They nodded and grabbed onto the chain. Tonks spoke the required words and Harry grimaced as he felt the usual tug behind his navel. He stumbled as he landed but Draco easily caught him. He glared at the blonde when he realized that he was trying not to laugh.

"Not a word, Draco." The other man just shrugged. They followed Tonks as she started walking. "We found out that these people were considered neutral during the war, but they were actually the ones who gave You-Know-Who the tools to entice people to try the darker side of magic. The grandfather wasn't very fond of his son, but when he saw Tom Riddle, he realized that the man was very ambitious." Tonks paused as she turned towards them.

"You can imagine what happened then, but long story short: this family is toxic and we need to take them by surprise if we are going to have the upper hand. From the information we have gathered, we have found that they are extremely supportive of Draco and that means that they think you did something to him, Harry. They plan to 'release' Draco from his spell and use you as a slave of some kind, but it was determined that it depended on what Draco wanted to do."

Harry and Draco both looked at her strangely and she rolled her eyes. "It's not like I can just say you and you so forgive me for the third-person speak, but ultimately it means that they won't do anything to Draco and they won't do anything to you either, Harry. But that is only if it seems like Draco has broken the spell he was under."

They nodded in understanding and Blaine hissed. Harry looked towards Draco. "Blaine says that Cyan would be able to place me in a fake trance. It would seem and read like I'm in a trance if they do detection spells, but in reality, I will have full control over my body." Draco looked at Harry in doubt before turning to Cyan who nodded. This caused Draco to sigh.

"So let me get this straight. You want Cyan to put you in a fake trance and then you want me to lead you into the castle full of potential…wait scratch that…positively crazy people?" Harry nodded sheepishly and Draco shook his head in shock. "Trust you to always rush headlong into trouble." Draco then looked at Tonks. "Please tell me you have another way."

Tonks looked at the ground and shook her head sadly before turning back to Draco. "There is no time to think of another plan. They won't kill you since they kind of worship the ground you walk on. Your father was You-Know-Who's second in command and he is in jail so that position now falls to you. They won't hurt Harry if you say that you want him as your own personal slave so that you can punish him for what he did to your family and your leader or something. They think that you went to the light side in order to destroy it from the inside."

Even Harry had to admit that that was a very plausible reason for following the plan, but Draco still looked doubtful. "What keeps them from deciding that they shouldn't follow me? Are you even able to guarantee that we will both make it out alive?" Tonks sadly lowered her head and Draco shook his head. "I understand that this is important, but are you really willing to bet Harry's life on this plan?"

Harry decided that he had to quickly defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "Draco please calm down. She is only trying to do her job and like she said, they kind of worship the ground you walk on so we won't really be in any danger. I mean it's not like there is someone who can read your mind and determine whether you are lying or not."

Draco sighed and stepped back before looking at Harry. "I understand that, but I just found you. I don't want to lose you ever again." Harry looked at him in understanding. "I know. I also do not want to lose you. So we will just have to make sure that we are perfectly safe." Draco looked at him in confusion and Harry tilted his wrist to show him his bracelet.

"These bracelets have portkeys remember? They also have a shield function if you direct your magic into it and say the word 'shield'. If we keep this in mind, there will be no danger." Draco tilted his wrist and looked at his own bracelet. "Are you sure about this?" Harry nodded, but Draco looked back at the bracelets in doubt. "What if something goes wrong."

Harry looked down at his feet. "Well I am kind of a danger magnet, but I'm hoping that the term doesn't also apply to anyone close to me." Draco shook his head as if he was losing his mind before he turned and looked at Harry. "Something tells me that you will do this whether I like it or not." Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Well, that kind of sums up my character."

Draco looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Harry blushed. "Okay, okay, I just can't help saving people and they pissed me off because they took Remy." Tonks couldn't help but laugh at Harry's reasoning, but one look from Draco silenced her before he turned his attention back to Harry.

"If we do this, then you have to promise me that you won't do anything stupid without consulting with me first." Harry sighed but nodded. "I will try to tell you if it seems like I'm going to do something crazy. So are we doing this?" Draco reluctantly nodded as he turned to look at Tonks again.

"I take it that you are probably going to have the curse-breakers wait until we give you some kind of signal to let you know that it is time to attack." Tonks nodded and Harry looked at Leah and Cyan. "Leah and Cyan could swoop in low over your heads if we give them the signal telepathically or they could produce a burst of fire to alert you."

Draco and Tonks seemed to think for a moment before they nodded in unison. "That would be a good idea. They will have to use fire though in order to avoid any confusion." Leah and Cyan nodded before Cyan turned to Harry expectantly. Harry had barely given his permission before he felt the dragon's magic all around him. He then looked up at Draco as Leah and Cyan took to the skies.

"Well? Are we doing this or not? We still have classes to prepare for." His words prompted the Aurors and curse-breakers into position and he squeezed Draco's hand when the man looked a little angry at the fact that they were being placed in dangerous positions yet again. Draco looked at him. "I think that resigning was the best thing we ever did. After this is over I'm going to kidnap you for an entire week."

Harry laughed at this. "We may have our vacation once school's out. Sev and Remy deserve a break first." Draco nodded before glancing worriedly towards the castle. "How are we going to do this? Are you just going to act like my bodyguard or would it be better if you just followed me in a daze as if you are under a strong spell?"

Harry surveyed the area as he thought about it before he looked back at Draco. "I think it would be better if I acted like an entranced bodyguard. Any other way and they would inquire why I still have my wand." Draco nodded and looked at Harry's neck where the basilisk was curled up. "You are going to have to ask Blaine to follow my orders as if I also control him now and it might work better if I were to carry him."

Blaine seemed to understand already because he easily moved from Harry's body to Draco by using their joined hands. Harry blushed as he realized that they still haven't released their hands and Draco smirked before quickly pulling the other man into his arms and giving him a heart-stopping kiss. They were both breathing unevenly as they parted and Draco smiled. "Let's get this over and done with so that I can drag you to bed."

Harry blushed even harder before nodding and then composing himself to look the part. Draco led the way into the castle and they were barely past the wards when a whole group of people surrounded them. It didn't take long for them to notice Draco though and they bowed deeply which left Harry to wonder whether he should be laughing or worrying. Luckily the 'spell' was able to help him to keep up the charade.

"Master Draco, please forgive our actions. We were not informed that you would be here." Draco plastered on his aristocratic mask and looked at them in disdain. "Am I to assume that you are under the impression that I need to alert someone when I am about to grace them with my presence?" The man who had spoken paled as he registered Draco words.

"N-nn-ooo master forgive me for my words. Please allow me to inform the family of your visit." Draco nodded in disdain before looking around at the others. His look gave the impression that he was looking for an excuse to hex someone and they subtly tried to stand as still as possible. Harry couldn't help being impressed by the way that Draco was able to manipulate his masks.

The servant hurried back and bowed deeply once again before speaking. "Please allow me to lead you to the study my lord." Draco nodded and to Harry, he looked extremely bored even though he knew that the man was probably itching to apparate them both out of danger.

They pause before the study door as the servant bowed and disappeared. Harry worked hard to keep up his dazed impression as they entered a giant study where several of the family members were gathered. They also bowed deeply and the older lord motioned for Draco to sit down while he eyed Harry in curiosity. Draco let out a bored sigh.

"If you are wondering why Harry Potter is following me around like a dazed puppy then the answer is simple. After our lord's defeat, I put a plan for revenge into motion and this is the end result. The man actually thought that I was in love with him and so it was easier to deal with him than I had expected it to be. Now his power and abilities are under my control."

The room's occupants looked at him in awe until one of the younger children, whose name he didn't know, pointed out that Harry still has his wand. It made Draco inwardly cringe, but he smirked at them. "You do know that he is brilliant in defense, as much as I loathe admitting it. What better use would there be for him than acting as my own personal bodyguard? Especially since I worked so hard to break him and mold him into how I want him."

He looked at the family and saw that they were all clearly very devoted to him. The older lord suddenly paled and bowed once more. "Forgive me, my lord, your arrival was quite a shock. May I introduce my family…" His words were cut-off when an older man entered the room while speaking.

"Have I taught you nothing, my son?" He then turned to Draco with a slight bow before becoming very serious. "I am sorry my lord, but it has come to my attention that you might have been placed under some kind of spell or potion. Please permit me to do an analysis to make sure that you are yourself." Harry cringed. He was sure that it was the old man who had given Tom Riddle the tools to rise as Voldemort, who stood before him now.

Draco tilted his head and Harry could see fury dancing in his eyes as his voice turned cold. "I would have gladly allowed you to scan me for spells if I knew you, but I do not. Your family came to my attention when you kidnapped Remus Lupin and you have angered me since I was actually working on a plan to get the Alpha on my side."

His words caused the room's occupants to cringe as he continued speaking. "I will, however, permit the scan if it is done by my newly acquired guard." The old man's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. Draco turned to face Harry while making sure that there wasn't anyone behind him. "As your master, I order you to perform a full scan." Harry bowed deeply while carefully keeping his face blank. "Yes master, I obey."

He then started to speak loudly as he cast any and all detection spells that he could remember from his days at the Auror Academy. It naturally showed that Draco was clear of all spells or potions and he turned to face the old man once again. "Before you even ask, I will do the same scan on Potter to show you that he is indeed under my control. I also have the book that our dark lord wanted, in my possession."

Harry stood still as if waiting for his next order as Draco cast the same detection spells on him. The results showed that he was clear except for a familiar bond that was connected to Draco. Harry had to work hard to school his features as he realized that Cyan had actually given them an easy way to explain their connection.

The old man seemed pleased and he looked towards his son. Draco and Harry followed suit and this caused them to miss the fact that the man had just cast a spell on himself that would allow him to know whether they are speaking the truth or not. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as his son asked Draco about how he got Harry to willingly perform the bond and the old man subtly alerted his grandchildren that their lord was lying.

The old man was about to let loose a spell when a girl came running into the office. "Did our new lord say that we could have Harry? Please tell me he did. There are so many things I want to…" The girl couldn't even finish her sentence as her presence alerted Harry and Draco that the old man had his wand out.

Spells started flying as Harry tried to shield them both while Draco shot offensive spells at their attackers. They both sent a telepathic message to the flyers and they could feel that the curse-breakers were working on the wards. Harry mentally swore to himself. They hadn't factored in that there might be stronger or ancient wards around the castle. He sure hoped there wasn't, but it was clear that there was when the wards didn't immediately fall.

The girl was the first to go down and two of the youngest siblings fell shortly after. Harry ducked and pulled Draco down with his as the other lackeys of the group appeared and started firing spells. He knew that they couldn't hold on for much longer as a spell singed his shoulder. Draco looked like he had realized the same thing and Harry hated the look of panic on the blonde's face.

Harry started retaliating with wilder spells and he was glad that the rest of the servants were probably trying to fight off the Aurors outside. The Hufflepuff's two lackeys fell but Harry couldn't allow himself to hope that they would be able to defeat everyone in time. He threw up a ground shield as multiple green streaks came towards them and cringed as a severing spell nipped him in the leg.

Draco's hiss of pain caught his attention and he felt his anger boil up inside him as he saw that a cutting spell had gotten the blonde on the side of his neck. Luckily most of the spell seemed to have missed the man; otherwise, he wouldn't have still been alive.

A hiss caught his attention and his eyes widened as he realized that they still had Blaine with them, but he knew that they couldn't use the basilisk's stare or Blaine's venom. A glint caught his eye and Harry's eyes widened as he remembered their bracelets. "Draco, the shields!" The blonde nodded and he quickly cast a blinding spell to give them time to activate the shields so that they could use the portkeys.

But the old man seemed to have anticipated it because he shielded his eyes while the other people in the room were blinded. Harry was about to activate his shield when Draco pushed him out of the way as he noticed a spell heading straight for them.

The blonde didn't have enough time to get himself out of the way and Harry watched horrified as the spell struck the blonde directly in the chest. The spell looked familiar and the brunet felt dread fill him as he realized that it was the same heart-stopping curse that had wrenched them apart in their past life as he registered the words that the old man used.

Denial surfaced its ugly head and Harry simply lost it. It was as though rational thought ceased to exist within his mind and black flames engulfed him as he stared down at Draco's limp body. He felt his heart split in two as a spell confirmed that Draco wasn't alive anymore. He knew that Leah had warned him not to lose control of his flames and a splitting pain traveled throughout his entire body. At first, he thought that he had been cursed but he suddenly found that he wasn't completely human anymore. His mind screamed that he didn't want to live without Draco and he would take down the bastard that took his love from him even if it killed him in the process.

He glanced at a huge half-broken mirror to the side of the room and he was shocked to see that he kind of resembled a demon from the deeper parts of hell. He had two colossal black feathery wings on his back with what seemed to be a grey reptilian tail. His eyes were cat shaped emeralds and he seemed to have an extra eyelid like a reptile. He opened his mouth as an idea took root and he saw that he had two fangs that dropped down from the roof of his mouth. His skin also had random patches of scales under his eyes, on his neck and even on his wrists. He was pretty sure that he had scales in other places too.

The black flames completed the picture and he turned back to look at the group who were now pressed against the corner of the room in fear. Black flames surrounded them and blocked them from going anywhere, but he still didn't feel satisfied. He knew that he had somehow become merged with his phoenix and basilisk forms and he planned on using his powers before he joined wherever Draco was.

He heard Leah and Blaine cry out to him, but he was too far gone to care. His flames erupted even further and spread throughout the castle. A loud cry tore from his throat and the castle startled crumbling down around them as he lost control of his power. An explosion sounded off and the castle collapsed completely. Harry fell down on his knees next to Draco who had been protected by a shield that Harry had instinctively thrown up around the blonde.

He picked Draco up and cradled him in his lap. He knew instinctively that Leah had carried out everyone before the castle collapsed and a part of him wished that the family had actually died from his flames even though he knew that it was wrong to think in such a way.

Drops fell onto his hands and he realized that he was crying. He could hear the voices of the Aurors as they searched for them, but Harry felt compelled to take Draco away from everyone so that he could mourn in peace and maybe find a way to join the blonde even though he was sure that he was going to be lectured greatly by his one-time nemesis if he took his own life.

He secured his arms around the blonde and stood up, but a thud caught his attention. He immediately recognized the ritual book and a flash of hope passed through him. He would use the spell that he had created to counter the heart-stopping curse! Even if the spell hadn't been tested yet, it was the only option he had left.

He wandlessly conjured a mattress and placed Draco upon it. He then took the book and opened it to a page that contained his own notes. He then set the book down and concentrated his magic on the blond. His hope dimmed as nothing happened and he tried again. His movements became more frantic as he tried the spell for the fifth time without any results.

The heat was starting to leave Draco's body and Harry placed his forehead on the blonde's. He didn't realize that in his grief he was actually whispering the spell over and over again as he wished that he had the power to share his heartbeat with Draco. What's the use of being the master of death if he couldn't even keep the person he loved with him?

He climbed onto the mattress to lie next to the blonde before placing his head on the Draco's chest. He wished that the fluttering of the heartbeat he heard was real and he closed his eyes. A thump sounded up from the chest of the man under him and Harry's eyes snapped open. Another thump sounded up from beneath him and he quickly sat up to check the blonde's pulse.

He was truly convinced that he was losing his mind as the light fluttering thump became stronger and stronger but as he looked at Draco's face for a sign of life, the man's eyes opened and he found two bright silver pools looking up at him. He completely forgot about how he looked and he grabbed the other man in a tight hug.

A thought occurred to him and he sent a patronus to Tonks before picking Draco up into his arms. He sent Blaine and Leah a telepathic message to get Cyan and to meet them in their quarters. The basilisk and the phoenix quickly agreed, but they warned Harry that they were going to have a long talk about his temper even though it had been warranted this time.

Draco's eyes went wide as he took in the changed form of Harry. "Uhm how long was I out?" Harry gave him a look and the blonde fell silent. "What were you saying earlier? Something about telling you before I did something stupid? I think we might have to apply that rule to you as well. If you ever die on me again, I will personally follow you."

The blonde paled as he realized what had happened, but Harry didn't leave him much time to contemplate anything because he spread his newly acquired appendages and shot into the sky with one powerful downbeat of his wings. He laughed as Draco held onto him extremely tightly. "I won't drop you, you know."

A thought allowed him to use his phoenix abilities and he ported them directly into the infirmary. Poppy rushed to check them both over as they described what had happened. She then pointed them to Minerva's office since the headmistress would be better at finding out whether Harry would be able to transform back into his human form or not.

The good news was that after she lectured them for an hour on staying away from any possible danger in the future, she told Harry that he would be able to regain his human form by concentrating on correcting the changes, but he would not be able to take his individual basilisk and phoenix forms anymore. He didn't really mind his new form and the fact that Draco kept giving him heated looks made him think of some interesting things they could do.

They were then advised to seek out Severus and Remus who had been staying awake in order to ensure that they made it home safely. It was only after another long explanation that they finally made it to their place and Harry grabbed Draco and dragged him into the bathroom for a quick shower. They were so exhausted that they immediately fell asleep in each other's arms.

 _ **Thank you for reading. We are almost at the end of this story. The next chapter will be the epilogue. Thank you to everyone who followed this story.**_


	27. Chapter 27 Epilogue

**THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY**

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Disclaimer_ _\- I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine._

 _This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story._

 _Key:_

" _Thoughts"/"Telepathy"_

"Speech"

~ _Parseltongue_ ~

 **-** _ **"flashback"**_ **-**

 _ **WARNING: This chapter implies adult behavior. Please do not read this if you are not allowed to or if you do not like sexual content even if it isn't really graphic. If you read this and you don't like it, this was a clear warning. Other people might actually enjoy reading this and if you flame it just because you don't like it, then it's like someone else flaming or flagging the stories that you like. Everyone is unique and different so please don't judge.**_

 **Chapter 27: Epilogue - 2 years later**

Harry wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn't decided to help Draco 2 years ago as he stood teaching Defence in front of the NEWT year class. He would probably still be sitting alone in his house with only Snow to keep him company and that would have been enough. He would also probably have dwelled on the feelings he had for Draco in more ways than he could count. And it would have been peaceful.

A ringing surged through his ears and Harry gave the school bell a glare. Couldn't they have gotten a softer one? But he supposed that that would have defeated the purpose of the school bell. His class gathered their books and left and Harry gratefully sank back into his chair. It felt strange to be sitting in the place where Remus had sat, but now both Remus and Severus were gone and he was feeling lonely.

He knew that Draco still had a double class of potions to teach and so he decided to turn to Salazar. The man's portrait was now hanging behind him in class and he had to stifle his laughter numerous times when the Slytherin founder fixed a student with that glare of his.

A lot of students had wondered why the Slytherin founder had wanted to be placed in a Gryffindor teacher's class, but Harry soon taught them to learn from their elders' mistakes. Not that Harry and Draco were that old to begin with, but it got the point across. Salazar Slytherin had surprised everyone when he chewed out a student for being rude to another student no matter what colors they wore and one could say that he was even stricter on both the Gryffindors and the Slytherins since the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were more concerned about making friends and reading books...well most of them at least.

Harry cringed as he thought about the time when he and Draco had to infiltrate the wayward family. He could be very glad that he didn't lose everything that day. He sighed again then felt a phantom hand club him over the head and he glared at Salazar Slytherin. The man glared right back.

"What? You think I am going to let you sulk here all day? It's the last day of school for the year and I have already talked to McGonagall now go grab your man and go pack! If you are not out of here in an hour's time, I might tell certain people that you don't want to see them."

Harry gaped at the man then hurried out of the door to the rooms that he and Draco shared. He didn't know how the founder did it, but the man clubbed him over the head most of the time when he wasn't pleased. He was very surprised to see Draco in the room but by the looks of things he had been chased out of his class too. Harry looked at Draco and the blonde caught his glance and shook his head. "I promise you that I will murder my Godfather and your uncle when I get my hands on them one day."

Harry laughed then smiled. When the fight was over, a few of their friends took up the Potions and Defence positions while Harry and Draco recovered. Poppy had refused to let both of them out of her sight for about a week until they convinced her that they were fine. They then sent Severus and Remus away on a surprise vacation to Paris and the two just never came back.

Severus was now making potions from home for a living since he found out that Paris lacked a Potions Master and Remus had been roped in to do an investigation for an acquaintance of his and now had his own detective firm. Both of them had admitted that they were very happy with their occupations and that's when Harry and Draco permanently took over their classes.

Harry knew that it didn't make sense for him to feel like Remus and Severus were gone since they could just floo over, but he kind of missed seeing the two of them around Hogwarts. Tonks let them know after the incident that they had filtered out all of the corrupt officials in the Ministry and that they had captured the entire group of people that wanted to kill them.

Harry grimaced. If Leah hadn't saved the group them he would probably have turned them all into coal. It was fortunate that she had helped otherwise he might have been sitting in Azkaban right now. He hadn't been an Auror at the time and as a civilian, killing another person was against the law. Harry didn't understand why at first since it had been in self-defense, but Remus had explained that most of the enemy had been in different parts of the area and if Harry had killed them then it would have been unprovoked murder. Since they hadn't confronted and threatened his life yet.

He frowned again but a hand on his back brought his thoughts back to the present. Draco was looking at him and Harry smiled at the man who dragged him close and sealed their lips with a kiss. Harry could barely concentrate on breathing as their tongues danced together and they kissed until they were both feeling lightheaded. Draco slowly lets him go before speaking. "I can tell that you are thinking about what happened two years ago. Don't. We have a cruise to get to." Harry laughed and nodded before placing his bag next to the door with Draco's.

Three hours later they were on the cruise ship. They finished unpacking and then made their way to the room next door where Severus and Remus were. The three of them had practically threatened the Potions Master with leaving him behind if he didn't join them and he had refused to let Remus go off alone. But they all knew that Severus was just trying to keep his snarky reputation even though it was almost non-existent now that Remus and Severus were married.

The door opened and both Harry and Draco's jaws hit the floor as they realized that Severus was standing in front of them in jeans and a white shirt. Harry mock fainted. "The dreaded Potions Master in a white shirt? The apocalypse must be coming." Severus glared at both of them as they grinned and Remus stepped out of the room and threw his arms around Severus from behind.

"I think he looks sexy." Remus kissed the potions master on the lips by turning the dark-haired man to face him and then he turned to Draco. "I have a reservation for dinner at the restaurant tonight, but Sev and I decided to stay in. You're welcome to it if you want it." Both Harry and Draco nodded and they grinned as Remus shut the cabin door and dragged Severus away.

They knew that they should probably feel sorry for the dark-haired Slytherin, but they found that they were unable to. Severus needed to get out once in a while. Harry turned to Draco and caught the other man looking at him with a grin that could only spell trouble for Harry.

"What have you got planned, Draco?" The man held up his hands. "I don't really have anything planned. I'm just glad to be here with you." Harry grinned and shook his head. He knew that Draco definitely had something planned. The man was nervous, hopeful and excited all at once.

They walked throughout the giant cruise ship until late evening before Draco claimed that he was famished. Harry just raised an eyebrow and followed him to a restaurant, but the closer they got to the restaurant the jitterier Draco seemed to become. Harry started to worry whether there was something that Draco wanted to tell him, but that he probably didn't know how to say it.

They entered the restaurant and Harry was surprised to see it empty. He looked at Draco and the blonde just shrugged and led them to a table overlooking the activities area. A waiter came to take their order and then quickly left. Harry felt like they were being left with complete privacy on purpose.

He decided to shrug it off; it wasn't the first time he let his mind run away with a few scenarios after all and he wasn't about to let it ruin a good date. They ate while talking about numerous things that they didn't know about each other and there was a lot. Harry almost felt like he didn't completely know Draco after everything he learned about the man, but he was determined to learn more.

It was late when they started heading back to their cabin and they took the long walk around. It was nice having a break from getting up early and facing a bunch of troublemaking students so early. They walked across one of the decks where soft music was still playing and Draco suddenly tugged on his arm.

Harry found himself in Draco's arms and they were slowly shifting from side to side. Harry felt like he wanted to bolt, but Draco didn't allow it. "Draco! I can't dance!" The blonde man looked at him and smiled. "I know, but we're not dancing, we are only swaying gently in each other's arms."

The brunet had to admit that his partner was right so he allowed Draco to lead him. They 'danced' for a while before Draco tugged on his hand and instead of heading back to their quarters; Harry discovered that they were taking a different route. They finally made it to what seemed like the highest part of the ship and Harry gaped at the sight of a full moon coming up over the water.

He ran to the railing to watch the moon rising, but he turned when he didn't feel Draco next to him. The sight of Draco on one knee behind him nearly floored him and they both froze for what seemed like forever. Draco visibly swallowed nervously before he spoke. "Harry, I know I was a git to you during most of the time that you have known me and I admit that it was because you refused my friendship even though I felt a pull towards you. I know that I act strangely when things don't go my way and this should be enough of a reason for you to run the other way, but I hope that you will do me the honor of marrying me."

Silence descended between them for a few long minutes until Draco made a move to stand up. He looked extremely uncomfortable and sad and Harry realized that the blonde thought that he was rejecting his proposal. Draco didn't realize that he had just actually shocked Harry into speechlessness. His whole being screamed no and he almost tackled Draco to the ground before kissing him senseless.

Draco laughed once they finally came up for air. "I take that as a yes." Harry nodded and Draco shook his head in amusement. "I'm going to need an answer you know, just to be sure." Harry laughed and kissed the blonde again before speaking. "It is a definite yes."

Draco's shoulders sagged in relief and he picked Harry up before walking towards their room. Harry flailed to try and get Draco to put him down, but it was no use so he gave up and cuddled with the blonde's warm body instead, which earned him a chuckle from Draco.

The blonde opened their cabin door and closed it before carrying Harry to bed. Harry swore that he heard quite a few silence and locking spells, but he didn't care, Draco was finally going to be his. They slowly undressed each other and Harry tried to map every part of Draco as the blonde tried to do the same to him. Their lovemaking was hot and passionate and Harry found that he couldn't even string one comprehensible thought together, not to mention a sentence. At the end, they came together and both Harry and Draco could only describe it as magic.

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **Yeah I know that was really a cliché ending but hey, it has to work if it has been used so many times. Thank you to everyone who followed this story. I might be a little slow in updating the other one, but it WILL get updated.**_

 _ **Regards**_

 _ **Gambito**_


End file.
